Mid-America Christian University Men's Baseball

Brett Stanton is entering his seventh year as the Head Coach of the MACU Baseball program for the 2027 season and will be serving in his eighth season overall. During the 2026 campaign, the Evangels put together a historic season that saw MACU make its first ever appearance in the NAIA World Series after capturing the program's first ever NAIA Opening Round Championship after defeating the 2025 National Champion No. 12 LSU Shreveport 7-4 on May 13. MACU punched its ticket to the title tilt after it took down an NAIA World Series team in Loyola 3-2 in its first game on May 11 before toppling the top-seeded Pilots 8-2 on May 12. MACU also captured the program's first ever win at the NAIA World Series when it defeated No. 10 Doane by a score of 7-3 on May 22. The Evangels success in the postseason went beyond just the NAIA as the team captured the program's second SAC Tournament title. After falling to No. 15 Texas Wesleyan on May 2 in the tourney, the Evangels staved off elimination three times, defeating Nelson 4-2 to advance to the SAC Championship games before toppling the top-seeded Rams twice in dominant fashion, winning by final scores of 16-6 and 22-4. Overall, MACU wrapped up the 2026 season with a program record in wins, closing out with a 43-15 overall record while placing second in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with a 20-7 league mark, making it the third-straight year MACU notched 20 or more wins in conference play. On-top of being named one of the ABCA-ATEC NAIA Regional Coaches of the Year, he was also a finalist for the NAIA Ball Coach of the Year as well to go along with the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. Overall, the Evangels closed out the season with its highest ranking ever in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, garnering the No. 8 ranking as well as the No. 7 ranking in the NAIA Ball Media Poll. Over the course of the 2025 season, the Evangels put together a stellar run to advance  all the way to the NAIA Opening Round Championship, picking up wins against Southern-New Orleans, Ottawa, and No. 21 Johnson before falling to eventual undefeated National Champion No. 1 LSU-Shreveport in the title game. As a result, MACU wrapped up the campaign with a 41-17 overall record and finished second in the SAC with a 20-7 league mark.  In 2024, MACU raised its bar of success to its highest ever as the Evangels finished the year with their best record in program history at that point at 41-13, won the program's first SAC Championship with a 20-4 league mark and also captured the program's first SAC Tournament title after defeating No. 22 Oklahoma City 12-6 at Bill Smith Ballpark in Chickasha, Oklahoma on May 7.  Not only did the Evangels earn their first ever bid to the NAIA Tournament as a result, but MACU also notched its first NAIA Tournament victory after defeating Oklahoma Wesleyan 5-4 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on May 14. At the conclusion of the regular season, Stanton received the decorated honors of being the SAC Coach of the Year as well as the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. During the 2023 season, Stanton led the Evangels to new heights as a program, amassing a 39-17 overall record while also posting the team's first ever winning record against SAC competition with a 15-9 league mark. Not only did the 39 wins set a new NAIA Era (2008-present) record, but the Evangels capped off the sensational season by winning the program's first NCCAA World Series with a walk-off 3-2 victory in 10 innings against Southwestern Christian in the championship game on May 23. In 2022, Stanton guided MACU to its winningest season in program history to that point, amassing a 32-22 overall record while leading the Evangels to their first ever appearance in the NCCAA World Series. Stanton also led MACU to its then best-ever finish in SAC play, going 12-12 against league foes while notching a pair of high-profile wins in a 3-2 extra-inning affair against No. 5 Oklahoma City on Mar. 26 a 8-5 victory against No. 14 Science & Arts on Mar. 31. At the NCCAA World Series, the Evangels tallied their first national tournament win in a 17-10 slug fest against Carolina (N.C.) on May 21. During the 2021 season, Stanton led the Evangels to a 24-26 overall record and a 10-14 mark in SAC play. The 24 wins at the time tied the most wins in a season since the program joined the NAIA in 2007 to that point. In his first season with the program in 2020, Stanton served as MACU's Assistant Coach, helping lead the program to its then finest season during the NAIA Era. Despite playing a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Evangels turned in their first winning season since joining the Sooner Athletic Conference in 2008, going 21-10 overall before the season was abruptly halted on Mar. 13. After opening the season with a doubleheader split, Mid-America Christian put together its winningest month ever in the NAIA Era to that point by going 14-6 during the month of February. A product of Warner University in 2011, Stanton was a four-year member of the Royals pitching staff. He was a part of teams that made three straight appearances in the NAIA Opening round in 2007, '08, and '09, and in his four seasons at Warner the Royals were 132-94. Individually, he made 44 appearances for the Royals, including 21 starts and four complete games. He compiled a 12-7 record with a 4.15 ERA in 151.2 innings of work. Stanton held opponents to a .262 average with 97 strikeouts. He moved into a coaching role with the Royals for the 2012 season, and in the fall of that year, he moved on to Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri for a Graduate Assistant position with the Bearcats. He spent two season with SBU managing the pitching staff and assisting with recruiting and staff management as well. In 2014, he moved on to Western Oklahoma State College as the Associate Head Coach under Kurt Russell. With the Pioneers, Stanton immediately helped lead them to a NJCAA World Series runner-up finish. The 2015 Pioneers were 53-13, and the pitching staff was outstanding, posting a team ERA of 3.91 in 486.0 innings. The Pioneers averaged nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings. Stanton and the Pioneers made another trip to the NJCAA World Series in 2016, finishing fifth, and their strikeouts per nine innings went up to 10.81. In all, Stanton helped lead the Pioneers to a 230-73 (.759) record in five seasons as the associate head coach. Brett Stanton – Baseball Coaching Profile Mid-America Christian University Year Overall Record SAC Record Postseason/Awards 2026 43-15 (.741) 20-7 (.741) SAC Tournament Champion, NAIA Tournament Qualifier, NAIA Opening Round Champion, NAIA World Series Qualifier, ABCA-ATEC NAIA Regional Coach of the Year 2025 41-17 (.707) 20-7 (.741) NAIA Tournament Qualifier 2024 41-13 (.759) 20-4 (.833) SAC Coach of the Year, NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year, SAC Champion, SAC Tournament Champion, NAIA Tournament Qualifier 2023 39-17 (.696) 15-9 (.625) NCCAA World Series Champions, NCCAA World Series Appearance 2022 32-22 (.593) 12-12 (.500) NCCAA World Series Appearance 2021 24-26 (.480) 10-14 (.417) Total 220-110 (.667) 97-53 (.646) NCCAA World Series Champions, 2x NCCAA World Series Appearance, SAC Champion, 2x SAC Tournament Champion, SAC Coach of the Year, 2x NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year, 3x NAIA Tournament Qualifier, NAIA Opening Round Champion, NAIA World Series Qualifier, ABCA-ATEC NAIA Regional Coach of the Year 2020 Assistant Coach – Mid-America Christian 2014-19 Associate Head Coach – Western Oklahoma State 2012-13 Graduate Assistant Coach – Southwest Baptist (Mo.)

Kyle Barrett is making his way into his fourth season as the Associate Head Coach of the MACU baseball program in 2027, primarily serving as the program's pitching coach as well as his seventh year overall with the program. Over the course of the 2026 season, the Evangels put together its best postseason run in program history. Not only did MACU win its second Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, the Evangels went on to win their first ever NAIA Opening Round Championship by taking down the 2025 undefeated National Champion No. 12 LSU Shreveport 7-4, punching their ticket to their first ever appearance in the NAIA World Series. The Evangels then went on to defeat No. 10 Doane 8-5 in their first NAIA World Series game.  It was overall a banner year for the MACU Baseball team and pitching staff as a whole. The Evangels amassed a program record in wins, ending the year with a 43-15 overall record and recorded 20 or more wins in SAC play for the third-straight year by finishing second in the league standings with a 20-7 mark. Junior ace Ibrahim Gonzalez headlined the pitching staff by being named the program's first ever NAIA First Team All-American as well as selected as the NCCAA Player of the Year. Under Barrett, the MACU pitching staff was one of the best in the nation, ending the year with the seventh-lowest ERA in the NAIA at 4.06 while producing the 16th-lowest WHIP (1.42) and 17th-rated strikeout per nine inning ratio (9.32). MACU also ended the year with the third-most saves in the NAIA with a program record 16, 13 of which were notched by All-SAC First Team honoree Liam Taft. The Evangels defense was also stellar, ranking 19th with a .968 fielding percentage and had the second-best runners caught stealing percentage in the country (38.5). MACU also achieved its highest ever ranking in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, ending the year ranked No. 8. In 2025, the Evangels put together a strong postseason run when it advanced all the way to its first NAIA Opening Round Championship game before they eventually fell to the first ever undefeated NAIA National Champions No. 1 LSU Shreveport in the title game. Overall, MACU wrapped up the year with a 41-17 overall record and placed second in the SAC with a 20-7 conference mark. Defensively, MACU ranked 29th in the NAIA in fielding percentage (.965) while the pitchers posted a 5.97 team ERA on the season. During the 2024 campaign, Barrett helped lead MACU to one of its most successful seasons in program history. The Evangels ended the year with a 41-13 overall record, including a 20-4 record in SAC play to capture both the program's first SAC Championship as well as the team's first SAC Tournament title with a 12-6 victory over Oklahoma City at Bill Smith Ballpark in Chickasha, Okla. on May 7. As the result, MACU earned its first ever bid to the NAIA Opening while also ending the year with its highest ranking ever in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll at that point at No.11 It was especially a banner year for a MACU pitching staff that finished as one of the best in the nation, ending the 2024 campaign with the sixth-lowest ERA (3.99) and 10th-lowest WHIP (1.35) in the  NAIA. Under Barrett's tutelage, MACU earned its first ever NAIA All-American selection in senior staring pitcher Isaac Baez garnering Third Team honors while also tallying a pair of Academic All-Americans in senior right-handed pitchers Cameron Brown and Zane Robeaux tallying Second Team acclaim. In 2023, Barrett played a vital role in mentoring MACU's pitching staff as the team finished the year with a 39-17 overall record, a 15-9 mark against SAC competition and won the program's first ever NCCAA World Series title with a 3-2 victory over Southwestern Christian in 10 innings on May 23. MACU wrapped up the season with a 5.14 team ERA, the third-lowest for the program at that point since joining the NAIA in 2008 as well as the third-lowest ERA in the SAC. The Evangels also tallied a record 11 saves and the second-most complete-game shutouts with four. The MACU pitching staff also put together an astounding strikeout-to-walk ratio with the fourth-most punchouts in a season with 380 to tallying a record-low 118 walks to a 3.1-to-1 K/BB ratio. During the 2022 campaign, the Evangels amassed a stellar 32-22 overall record and closed out the year with its first .500 or better record in SAC play at 12-12. As a result, MACU qualified for its first ever NCCAA World Series and picked up a 19-10 win over Carolina (N.C.) on May 21 for the program's first ever World Series win. As a squad, MACU wrapped up the year with the program's fourth-lowest ERA in the NAIA at 5.77 to go with the second-most shutouts (4), the second-most saves (8) and just the program's third 400-plus strikeout season at 407. In his first season with the program in 2021, the Evangels closed out the year with a 24-26 overall record and a 10-14 mark against SAC squads.  However, the Evangels put together a solid season on the bump, notching the program's fifth-lowest ERA in the NAIA Era at 5.85 with a record five shutouts while striking out the second-most batters in the MACU record books with 438. Barrett came to MACU after serving as the Associate Head Coach of the University of Antelope Valley for the past year, an NAIA institution located in Lancaster, California. In his lone season as the UAV's Associate Head Coach, Barrett guided the Pioneers to a 16-13 record and a 7-2 record in the California Pacific Conference. Before being promoted, Barrett served as the Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Pioneers since 2016, building upon a program that won four straight CalPac Conference Championships from 2016 through 2019. Barrett mentored the 2018 UAV team to an appearance in the NAIA World Series, as the Pioneers closed out the year with a 46-14 record. It was the winningest season for the program since becoming an NAIA institution in 2014. In his five seasons at Antelope Valley, the Pioneers accumulated a 172-78 (.688) overall record. Prior to coaching Antelope Valley, Barrett served as the Assistant Pitching Coach for the NAIA and NCCAA Division II affiliated Fresno Pacific (Calif.) Sunbirds from 2012 to 2015. Barrett guided a pair of NCCAA World Series Championship teams in 2014 and 2015 while coaching two PacWest All-Americans, including the West Region Pitcher of the Year. FPU won the NCCAA World Series in his final season, accumulating a record of 39-18-1, repeating its championship win in 2014 after completing a 39-19 season. Barrett competed for the Sunbirds in 2012, tossing four innings and recording a save before becoming an Undergraduate Coach in 2013. Barrett also competed for two seasons at Modesto Community College before transferring to Fresno Pacific to close out his collegiate pitching career.

Coming off its first NAIA World Series run in program history, the MACU Baseball team added a coach with postseason pedigree to its staff as Tyle Hankins has been named the program's new Assistant Coach, primarily serving as the hitting coach going into the 2027 season. Hankins is a familiar face to the Evangels, coming to MACU after serving as the Head Coach at Sooner Athletic Conference rival Science & Arts for the last five seasons, amassing a record of 163-97 (.627), which includes winning 35 or more games in four of his years as the team's skipper. Overall, Hankins led the Drovers to the 2025 SAC Tournament title while also guiding USAO to four NAIA Opening Round appearances. Before becoming the head coach of the Drovers, Hankins served as the Assistant Coach for three seasons under now USAO Athletic Director Mike Ross, where the Drovers captured the SAC regular season and tournament titles during the 2019 and 2021 campaigns as well as advancing to the NAIA World Series in 2019, just narrowly missing making it to the Championship game. Hankins has also served as an Assistant Coach for three NCAA Division II programs prior to going to USAO, including Northwestern Oklahoma State, Southwestern Oklahoma State, and East Central (Okla.). In all five seasons as the head coach of the Drovers, USAO has ranked in the top four of the conference in batting average, including leading the Sooner in 2024 in average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage as well as posting the league's best on-base percentage this past 2026 campaign.

Ryan Reed is entering into his second season as an Assistant Coach, primarily handling recruiting and strength & conditioning as well as fourth season overall on the MACU Baseball coaching staff going into the 2027 season. Reed also serves as the third-base coach when the Evangels are hitting, a role he's served in during his first three years with the program and is also responsible for operating the team's camps. In June of 2025, Reed was elevated to the role of Assistant Coach after serving as a Graduate Assistant Coach with the program for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. During the 2026 season, the Evangels raised the bar of the program as the team not only captured the program's second Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament title with a pair of 16-6 and 22-4 wins over No. 15 Texas Wesleyan in the title tilts, but also captured the program's first ever NAIA Opening Round Championship by defeating No. 12 LSU Shreveport 7-4, punching the team's first ever ticket to the NAIA World Series. The Evangels then went on to win the program's first NAIA World Series game, taking down No. 10 Doane by a score of 7-3.  MACU wrapped up the year with its most wins in program history, amassing a 43-15 overall record and finished second against SAC competiton with a 20-7 league mark, making it the third-straight year the team won 20 or more conference games. The Evangels also were one of the best power hitting teams in the NAIA, ending the year with the 17th-most home runs (76) and 24th-most extra-base hits (189).  In 2025, the Evangels rode one of the best offensive teams in the country to one of its best postseason runs in program history as MACU advanced to its first ever NAIA Opening Round Championship game before it ended the season to the first ever undefeated NAIA National Champion in the Opening Round title game.  Overall, MACU closed out the year with a 41-17 overall record and went 20-7 in SAC play to finish second in the league standings. With the bats, the Evangels finished the year ranked 13th in the NAIA in batting average (.338) while also owning the 16th-best on-base percentage (.446) and 10th-best slugging percentage (.580). On-top of tallying the fourth-most homers (102) and 12th-most extra-base hits (224), the Evangels also notched the 12th-most RBIs (476), the 12th-most runs (523), and 11th-most stolen bases (152). In his first year as the Graduate Assistant Coach in 2024, serving in the third base coach role, the Evangels reached new heights as a program as MACU finished the year with its best ever record with a 41-13 overall mark and captured multiple program firsts, which included winning its first SAC Championship with a 20-4 league mark, first SAC Tournament title after defeating No. 22 Oklahoma CIty 12-6 in the championship game at Bill Smith Ballpark in Chickasha, Okla. on May 7.  On-top of also earning a bid to the program's first NAIA Tournament, the Evangels also captured their first ever NAIA Tournament win after defeating Oklahoma Wesleyan 5-4 in Hattiesburg, Miss. on May 14. The Evangels closed out the year as one of the best offensive teams in the NAIA, ranking 23rd in batting average (.327). Reed returned to MACU after completing a stellar playing career with the Evangels by helping lead the team to its first NCCAA World Series title in 2023 in a 3-2 win over Southwestern Christian in 10 innings in the title game on May 23. In that game, Reed came up with one of the biggest plays of the contest when he successfully stole home to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth. In that season, Reed finished as one of the team's best hitters and defenders, raking in the second-best batting average on the team at .365 as he ripped nine doubles and three homers for 17 RBIs and 31 runs hitting out of the lead-off position. Reed also put together just the second unblemished defensive performance in the history of the program as the team's starting second baseman did not commit a single error in 122 chances. The Evangels capped off the year with its then-winningest season in program history, finishing with a 39-17 overall record and a 15-9 mark in SAC play. During the 2022 campaign, Reed found himself in the program's NAIA Era single-season record book as his 47 runs scored is tied for the fifth-most in one season at the time. Reed closed out the year with a .277 batting average while tallying six doubles and seven homers for 21 RBIs. Reed was one of the team leaders in guiding the Evangels to a 32-22 overall record, one of the winningest seasons since the program joined the NAIA while closing out with a 12-12 record against league competition. Overall, Reed wrapped up his two-year MACU playing career with a .320 batting average, slashing 82-for-256 with 15 doubles and 10 homers, 38 RBIs and his 78 runs is the seventh-most scored in a career in the NAIA Era. Before coming to play at MACU, Reed spent one season with NCAA D-II Rogers State (Okla.) in 2021 after a two-year playing career at Vernon College (Texas) in 2019 and 2020.

Micah Larsen is entering into his second season as the Graduate Assistant Coach for the MACU Baseball program in 2027 as he also serves as the Head Coach of the JV team. In his first season with the program, Larsen played a role in the Evangels putting together their best season in team history, wrapping up the year with a program record in wins after going 43-15 while placing second in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with a 20-7 league mark. On-top of the program capturing its second ever SAC Tournament title after defeating No. 15 Texas Wesleyan by scores of 16-6 and 22-4, the Evangels went on to win their first NAIA Opening Round Championship by toppling last year's NAIA National Champion No. 12 LSU Shreveport 7-4. As a result, MACU punched its first ever ticket to the NAIA World Series. Before coming to MACU, Larsen served as a Student Assistant Coach at Northwestern (Iowa) during the 2024-25 academic year. While at Northwestern, Larsen also started his own business, A1 Pitching Development in October of 2024. His business is a specialized training for baseball and softball players that handles both in-person and remote development. Larsen also served as the pitching coach Falls Aces, youth baseball development team out of Menomonie Falls, Wis. during the summers of 2019 and 2020. Recently completing his collegiate playing career, Larsen pitched for Bryant & Stratton (N.Y.) during the 2022 and 2023 seasons before transferring to play for the Raiders. Larsen competed during the 2024 campaign for Northwestern before suffering an injury last fall that moved him into a coaching role during the 2025 season. Larsen was also a summer ball player during his collegiate days, competing for the Green Bay Rockets out of the Northwoods League in 2021 and 2022 as well as the Oahe Zap from the Independence League in 2023 and 2024. He was a shut down closer for the Zap, leading the league in saves during the 2023 campaign. During the summer of 2026, Larsen served as the Head Coach for the Lake Mills Beach Bums from the Dairyland Collegiate League in southern Wisconsin.