KERRVILLE, TX -- The Schreiner University Athletic Department has announced that Ryan Brisbin has been named the school's new head baseball coach, replacing Joe Castillo, who resigned in April after serving as head coach at his alma mater for 10 years.
Brisbin has eight years of head coaching experience at two colleges during his career. The most recent was a successful six year stint at NCAA Division II Davis and Elkins College of the West Virginia Conference (WVIAC). The WVIAC, like the American Southwest Conference, is one of the nation's largest conferences with 16 schools.
"We are very pleased that Coach Brisbin has agreed to become our new baseball coach," Schreiner Director of Athletics Ron Macosko said. "Out of more than 100 applicants, we believe he is best person to lead Schreiner Baseball. Everyone I spoke with about Coach Brisbin, including people whom I have tremendous respect for in baseball, have had glowing recommendations about him both as a head coach and as a person.
"In him, we get the total package. He has had success coaching pitchers, hitters and defense. He's been a successful college head coach. He is passionate about baseball and knows that recruiting is a key to our future success. During this search process, I received notes from several of his former players who couldn't say enough about his contributions in maximizing their baseball talents but also about what he meant to them as a coach and mentor. We are very excited about what he will do with our baseball program in the future."
Brisbin took over a struggling program in 2001, and steadily built it up each year. His 2002 team made the WVIAC playoffs in his first year with only seven pitchers and a roster of 18. He recruited 15 freshmen for the 2003 season, many of whom would be key contributors in '05 and '06. Those players got a lot of playing time in '03 and '04 but the team still was very competitive and kept moving forward.
His 2005 team won 33 games and reached the conference tournament finals before losing 14-10 in the championship game. Brisbin was named WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year after the 2005 season. His 2006 team won 27 more games for one of the most successful back-to-back season performances in school history and advanced to the second round of the WVIAC Tournament. Highly regarded by the administration, Brisbin came to the aid of the department and served as head coach for three Senators' teams during that 2006-07 academic year.
When the head volleyball coach departed a week before the season began that fall, he stepped in and coached the team through the first half of the year. Then in the spring, he served the seemingly impossible double duties of head baseball and head softball coach for the season. After that year, he left D&E to pursue business opportunities here in Texas. It quickly became evident that he missed his true passion, coaching college baseball, and he's been looking to get back into it ever since.
During his time at D&E, Brisbin coached four first team All-WVIAC players and two WVIAC pitchers of the year (Perry Cunningham in '03 and Ryan Flanigan in '05). In a league that is known for hitting and run scoring, Brisbin's team were known for being strong in both pitching and hitting. Although WVIAC stats do not go back to his 2005 team, his '06 team was fifth in the league in hitting (.334 batting average) and third in pitching (5.09 ERA). In 2006, D&E's Tobi Stoner turned in one of the WVIAC's most impressive performances - yet did not earn first team All-WVIAC. He was third in the league (18th best in WVIAC history) in batting average at .465, with a slugging average of .803 and an on-base percentage of .521. He also stole 24 bases in 28 attempts that season and hit eight homers and 13 doubles. Meanwhile, he was also fourth in the league in ERA with 2.90 and won eight games while leading the WVIAC in innings pitched. Stoner was selected by the New York Mets in the 16th round of the '06 MLB draft. He was the highest WVIAC player (out of seven) drafted in the past decade and made his first appearance for the big league team in 2009 as a pitcher. He has had brief stints in both '09 and '10 and has a sub 4.00 ERA at the major league level.
Former Concord University head baseball coach (and now CU Athletic Director) Kevin Garrett had this to say about the hiring of Brisbin: "Our teams competed against each other his entire career. Speaking from a competitor's standpoint, I've always admired his teams. They are competitive and play with great pride and character. His teams are always in the game because they never give up and play the game the right way. He'll work his (butt) off for Schreiner Baseball. This (Schreiner) is going to be a great spot for him. (Mountaineer) fans are going to get a quality product on the field and will have a program off the field that supporters will be very proud of." Garrett was himself a three-time WVIAC Coach-of-the-Year winner.
Prior to taking the head coach job at D&E, he was the assistant coach at fellow WVIAC member University of Charleston for two years. Those two seasons with Brisbin on staff would become the two best in school history. UC head coach and Athletic Director Tom Nozica tried to keep Brisbin on his staff but knew he was destined for a head coaching position and recommended Brisbin to D&E Athletic Director Will Shaw when that job came open.
Coach Nozica (two-time WVIAC baseball Coach of the Year) on the hiring: "I cannot say how pleased I am that Schreiner University has hired Ryan (Briz) Brisbin as their new Head Baseball coach. I know that Schreiner had an excellent pool of candidates to choose from but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Schreiner has made the right choice in hiring Ryan. Ryan loves the game of baseball and his knowledge of game is extensive. Congratulations and good luck to Schreiner University, Ryan and the Schreiner baseball program."
Prior to his two years at UC, Brisbin was the head coach at NAIA Tabor College in KS. He earned that first head coaching position when he was still in his mid-20's. He got his first head coaching opportunity right out of college when he was named assistant baseball coach and head softball coach at Central Christian (junior) College in KS for two years. Brisbin was a standout baseball player at CCC, was the pitcher of the year and team captain as a sophomore before going to (then) NAIA Greenville College (IL) where he again was pitcher of the year and team captain. He earned his bachelor's degree in Physical Education at Greenville in 1995.
-Courtesy Schreiner University Sports Information Department