Oklahoma Baptist University Men's Baseball

The Jessica Stiles File Hometown: Tulsa, Okla. Education: Central Oklahoma, '09 Coaching Background 2015-Pres. Oklahoma Baptist, Head Coach 2012-15 St. Gregory's, Head Coach 2011-12 Central Oklahoma, Assistant Coach Career Records All-Time: 94-27 (.776) OBU Record: 94-27 (.776) National Tournament: 16-11 (.592) By The Numbers 3 - NCA National Championships 6 - 10-plus win seasons 10 - STUNT Nationals appearances 9 - Winning seasons Championships/Honors - 2024 D2 Varsity National Champions - NCA Advanced All Girl Division II National Champions (2019, 2021) - NCA Intermediate All Girl Division II National Champions (2019) - STUNT National Runner Up (2021, '22, '23, '25) - STUNT Nationals 3rd Place Finish (2018, 2019) - STUNT Nationals Appearance (2016, 2017) - 2017 USA Cheer STUNT Division II National Coach of the Year Jessica Stiles took over as Cheer and STUNT Head Coach for the startup program in the spring of 2015. From there, Stiles has established OBU as one of the perennial powers in the world of cheer and STUNT, taking the Bison to new heights. In the 2024 season, her Bison STUNT team won the D2 Varsity National Championship, the program's first. That was sweet victory for OBU, as a year prior, the team was national runner-ups.  The Bison Cheer team claimed back-to-back NCA Advanced All Girl Division II National Championships, taking home their very first title in 2019 before repeating as champions in 2021 after the pandemic canceled the 2020 season. OBU also claimed the intermediate national title in the 2019 season. Stiles has also led the Bison to five straight appearances in the STUNT National Championships, finishing in the top four the last four seasons and ending the year as National Runner Up in 2021. The Bison have been in the Top 3 in the national rankings since 2018 and has produced seven All-American despite no team being announced since 2019 due to the pandemic. Stiles was named the 2017 USA Cheer STUNT Division II National Coach of the Year after leading OBU to the STUNT National Championship for the second consecutive year. The Bison also finished runner-up at the 2017 National Cheer Association (NCA) National Championships. In her first year at the helm, Stiles led the Bison to a third place finish at the NCA National Championships.  Stiles has previously been an assistant cheer coach at the University of Central Oklahoma during 2011-2012 and served as the head cheer coach at St. Gregory's for the past three years. She has been involved at Mount St. Mary High School for eight years, where she serves as head cheer coach and communications director. She is a graduate from the University of Central Oklahoma, where she was a captain and member of the nationally ranked cheerleading team. Jessica Stiles (Wolverton) All-Time Collegiate Head Coaching Record Year         Overall         Conference           Notes                                                                                                                2025 12-3 Champions STUNT Nationals Runner Up; No. 3 National Ranking 2024 14-2 Champions STUNT Nationals Champion 2023 13-2 Champions STUNT Nationals Runner Up; No. 2 National Ranking 2022 10-1 Champions STUNT Nationals Runner Up; No. 2 National Ranking 2021  7-3 Champions STUNT Nationals Runner Up, Ranked No. 2 in final poll 2020   10-2 Champions STUNT Nationals canceled due to COVID-19, Ranked No. 2 in last poll released 2019 13-2 Champions STUNT Nationals 3rd Place Finish, Ranked No. 3 in final poll. Taylor Cunningham: First Team All-American. Whitney Wedgeworth: First Team All-American. 2018 6-2 STUNT Nationals 3rd Place Finish, Ranked No. 3 in final poll. Kamryn Bartley: First Team All-American. Bailey Davis: First Team All-American. Peyton Jenkins: First Team All-American. Whitney Wedgeworth: First Team All-American. Taylor Cunningham: Second Team All-American. 2017 5-3 N/A STUNT Nationals Participant. Jessica Stiles: STUNT Division II National Coach of the Year 2016 4-7 N/A STUNT Nationals Participant

The Chris Cox File Hometown: Shawnee, Okla. Education: NOC Tonkawa '04; Oklahoma Baptist, '07; East Central '18 Coaching Background 2019-Pres. Oklahoma Baptist, Head Coach 2014-19 Oklahoma Baptist, Assistant Coach 2012-14 Vernon College, Assistant Coach 2007-12 Northern Oklahoma College, Assistant Coach Career Records All-Time: 156-109 (.588) OBU Record: 156-109 (.588) Conference: 118-92 (.561) National Tournament: 2-2 By The Numbers 0 - Losing seasons as a head and assistant coach 5 - Winning seasons as a head coach 2 - NCCAA National Championships 6 - National Tournament Appearances 6 - Bison taken in the MLB Draft 5 - 20-plus win seasons 19 - All-American selections 73 - All-Conference selections Championships/Honors - 2019 GAC Tournament Champions - NCAA Regionals appearance (2019, 2020) - NCCAA National Champions (2017, 2018) - NAIA World Series appearances (2014, 2015) Chris Cox was named head coach of the Bison baseball program in June 2019. As a head coach, Cox has mentored seven All-America selections during his six years running the Bison program. He saw his first All-American selected in 2021 as Hector Ruvlacaba earned NCBWA First Team All-America. It was 13th All-American selection overall in Cox's entire OBU tenure. His most recent campaign, in 2025, saw the Bison attain 23 victories and have two players - DJ Van Atten and Lucas Schaefer - earn All-GAC honors. Plus, in the classroom, five different players were named College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District.  The 2024 campaign featured a trio of senior players - Alex Schroeder, Troy Shields and Isiah Lissade - help the Bison to a 32-20 record and win numerous postseason awards. Schroeder and Shields earned placement on three All-America squads while Lissade was an All-Region First Team honoree on three different lists. Plus, Schroeder became the school's and Great American Conference's all-time home runs leader (66) while Shields was named GAC Player of the Year.  Three seasons ago in 2023, Cox's Bison had a finish to remember. OBU won 18 of its last 27 games and advanced all the way to the GAC Tournament Championship series. By year's end, the Bison posted a 32-23 record. Along the way, Cox earned his 100th career win as head coach.  During the 2022 campaign, Dan Pruitt, Alex Schroeder and Kade Self earned All-America honors from ABCA/Rawlings,  D2CCA and NCBWA.  The Bison finished 27-22 in 2022 and saw the program break the school's previous home run record by smacking 112 bombs over the course of the 49-game season.  Cox was off to a red-hot start in his first season as Oklahoma Baptist head coach as he was 16-6 in 2020 including a 9-3 record in the GAC, good for first place in the conference before the season ended early due to COVID-19.  The Bison earned their first ever national ranking as they checked in at No. 24 in the NCWBA before rising up as high as 16th. Cox, a Shawnee native and the son of former head coach Bobby Cox, came to Bison Hill as an assistant coach prior to the 2014-15 season. Before joining the Bison staff, Cox was the assistant coach at Northern Oklahoma College from 2007-2012, where his team led the nation in hitting in 2010. He also served as an assistant coach at Vernon College in 2013-2014. Cox completed an associate degree from NOC Tonkawa in 2004, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies from OBU in 2007. He played baseball at both universities, and was a member of the 2003 NOC team that reached the regional final. He batted .319 with two home runs, eight doubles, and 40 RBI during his senior season as a Bison, and was a member of the 2006 OBU team that was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. Cox attended high school at Dale, where he was coached by OBU Hall of Famer Bruce Throckmorton. Between the fall and spring baseball seasons, he was a member of five state championships. Stepping into the leadership role following his father's retirement after 35 seasons on Bison Hill, Cox takes the reigns of an OBU program that has thrived since making the transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The Bison have earned an NCAA regional bid in each of their first two years of postseason eligibility, and also claimed the first Great American Conference Tournament title in school history in May. Cox is married to OBU's Director of Student Financial Services, Danielle Cox. The couple jas one child, Jaxon.  Chris Cox's All-Time Collegiate Head Coaching Record Year         Overall         Conference         Conf. Tourney         Season Notes                                                                                      2025 23-23 15-18, 9th All-GAC: DJ Van Atten, Lucas Schaefer 2024 32-20 18-15, 8th GAC 1st Round Troy Shields: All-GAC First Team, POTY, Three-Time All-American 2023 32-23 18-15, 6th GAC Finals Alex Schroeder: All-GAC First Team, NCBWA All-American 2022 27-22 18-15, 6th GAC Quarterfinals 3 All-America selections: Dan Pruitt, Alex Schroeder, Kade Self 2021 26-15 22-11, 3rd GAC Semifinals Hector Ruvalacaba: NCWBA First Team All-America 2020 16-6 9-3, 1st N/A Ranked No. 16, Season canceled due to COVID-19

Cody Painter was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2019 after serving the previous five years as an assistant coach for the Bison. During his tenure at OBU he has served as the pitching and catching coach, first-base coach and recruiting coordinator. Since assisting Bobby Cox (2015-2019) and Chris Cox (2020-Present), the Bison have a 337-164 (.672) record. In that time, the Bison have had 22 All-Americans, eight of those being pitchers or catchers, and 30 First Team All-Conference selections. The pitching staff on Bison Hill has led the GAC in strikeouts per nine innings in six of their eight full seasons in the GAC. Two of the last four recruiting classes (2021 & 2024) have ranked in the top-three nationally in junior college student-athletes making their way to campus.  Four OBU pitchers have been taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in Painter’s time on Bison Hill: Taylor Hearn, 2015, 5th Round; Kelvin Rivas, 2015, 10th Round; Nathan Thompson, 2016, 27th round, and Shane Kelso, 2019, 24th Round. Additionally, Tyler Gibson (RHP, 2017), Albertus Barber (2018), and Jake Gozzo (2019) went on to sign with MLB organizations as undrafted free agents. OBU had at least one pitcher for seven consecutive years go on to pitch for an MLB organization between 2013 and 2019.   The Bison finished the 2023 campaign as the Great American Conference runner-up and 11th in all of NCAA Division II (249 schools) in strikeouts per nine innings (9.6). That total also led the Central Region (39 schools). The Bison pitchers led the conference in batters struck out (469) and batters struck out looking (133) as well. The pitching staff sported two All-GAC selections in Jake Hamilton and Brek Galbreath. Hamilton ranked second in the GAC and 30th nationally in strikeouts per 9 innings (11.42). Galbreath became the first Bison pitcher to win nine or more games in a single season since Jinny Parra did so in 2016.    In 2022, the OBU pitching staff was led by First Team All-GAC selection Bo Dallas who went 7-4 with three complete games. The Bison pitching staff also led the GAC and finished 32nd nationally in strikeouts per nine innings.   The 2021 Bison finished 26-15 and ended the regular season one game out of first place in the conference. Jake Lipetzky was named to the All-GAC Second Team as his 11.88 strikeouts per nine innings still ranks third all-time in the GAC in a single season.    In the shortened 2020 season, the Bison pitching staff got off to a fantastic start. The Bison were 16-6 and ranked 16th in NCAA DII when the season concluded due to the CoVID pandemic. Jake Lipetzky looked as if he was going to repeat as an All-GAC First Tea selection showcasing a 2.09 ERA with wins in all four of his starts. He also struck out 60 batters in 38.2 innings pitched and allowed just 19 hits. Plus, junior Caleb Bly had four wins through March 10.     The GAC Champions resided in Shawnee in 2019. The Bison had a clean sweep through the GAC Tournament to bring the first ever conference title to Bison Hill. OBU won 15 of their last 17 games making a special run to the Sioux Falls Regional Championship game vs. the defending national champions. Lipetzky ended up with First Team All-GAC honors while Shane Kelso struck out 62 hitters in 43.1 innings. Kelso also limited opponents to a .183 batting average and ended up being drafted in the 24th round by the Los Angeles Angels.     The 2018 season marked the first year that the Bison were eligible for the GAC and NCAA postseason. The Bison wasted no time, making a run to the GAC Championship Game and earning an at-large bid to a NCAA Regional. Caleb Bly and Zach Fowler were named to the All-GAC Second Team while Bly’s 13.56 strikeouts per nine innings still ranks first in the record boos for a single season in the GAC. As a staff, the Bison ranked fifth nationally (262 schools) in strikeouts per nine innings.    In 2017, the Bison repeated as NCCAA National Champions with a 42-15 record, winning their last 19 games of the season. Jinny Parra was named to the D2CCA All-Region Team. Parra, Zach Fowler and Carson McPherson were also named to the All-GAC team. The pitching staff still, as of 2023, holds the GAC single-season team record for lowest ERA (3.25). During the NCCAA National Championship season of 2016, Bison pitchers allowed OBU’s fewest runs since 1983 and fewest hits and earned runs since 1993. In the University’s first year in the NCAA Division II Great American Conference, Bison arms led the conference in seven categories. The 2016 staff, as of 2023, still holds the single-season team records for strikeouts (518) and shutouts (10), opponent’s batting average (.209) and fewest hits allowed per game (6.79). Jinny Para was the GAC Pitcher of the Year and ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division II First-Team All-Central Region. Thompson set the GAC single-season strikeout record with 126 and was named to the All-GAC Second Team. With those 126 strikeouts, Thompson has the third-most strikeouts through a single season in Bison baseball history. Carson McPherson’s .176 opponent batting average still ranks first in GAC single-season history. In fact, in the first five seasons of the conference's existence, only five pitchers in the GAC had topped 100 strikeouts in a season and three were Bison – Thompson, first, 126; Parra, third, 103; Carson McPherson, tied for fourth, 101.   In 2015, as the Bison qualified for the NAIA World Series, OBU pitchers were second in the nation in NAIA in strikeouts with 542, ninth in opponent’s batting average at .227 and Rivas, a First Team NAIA All-American, set the OBU school record for strikeouts with 144. The Bison placed five on the NAIA All-American First, Second, and Honorable Mention teams. Eight players were First-Team All-Sooner Athletic Conference, three of them pitchers. Of the mere eight losses by the Bison in 2015, only one was by more than four runs.   Painter served as the recruiting coordinator (Spring 2014) and the graduate assistant at the University of Central Oklahoma from 2012-2014. He was an assistant coach for the Florence Redwolves of the Coastal Plain League in 2013. In 2010, Painter was a student assistant with Clarendon College. In addition, he also coached Oklahoma high school summer teams. More than 30 of the high school players he coached went on to sign with a NCAA Division I baseball program, and overall he has coached 16 high school or college players that were taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.   Painter attended high school at Oklahoma Christian Academy in Edmond, Okla., and was a Ferguson Jenkins Outstanding Student Athlete Award recipient in 2007 and an All-State selection in 2008. He received an Associate of Science degree from Clarendon College in 2010, a Bachelor of University Studies from Oklahoma State University in 2012, and a Masters of Secondary Education at the University of Central Oklahoma in 2014.   Cody and wife Candace reside in Harrah with their two daughters Sadie (9) and Kinslee (4).

Trace Maddux was named the Bison hitting coach in the summer of 2023. The former GAC All-Conference infielder joined the Bison coaching staff in the fall of 2022 as the volunteer assistant coach. Just this past season, in 2024, Maddux helped the Bison attain 93 homers, seventh-most in Division II. Plus, the team ranked 12th with a .335 batting average. Along the way, Maddux helped Troy Shields attain GAC Player of the Year Honors and All-America status from three publications. Additionally, the second-year coach mentored Alex Schroeder to All-America honors.    Maddux started his collegiate career at Pratt Community College (KS) where he was an All-Conference infielder. In his two years at Pratt, Maddux hit .327 with 93 hits, 14 doubles, 10 home runs, and 57 RBIs.   At Arkansas Tech, he helped his team win the GAC Conference regular season Championship while finishing as runner-ups in the Conference tournament, making all-tournament team, and helping his team make a regional appearance in 2021.   In 2021, Maddux put up an astounding .406 batting average with 17 doubles, 44 RBIs, and a .677 SLG%. In 116 games at Arkansas Tech, Maddux totaled a .337 batting average, 33 doubles, 10 home runs, 82 RBIs, and 60 walks. Maddux is 4thall-time in triples and top 10 in most doubles in a season.   In Maddux’s first season at OBU, he helped the Bison cap off their 40th consecutive winning season in a row with a runner-up finish in the Conference Tournament. Maddux helped coach six All-Conference selections, two All-Region selections, and one All-American.   In 2023, the Bison hit .317 as a team with 95 home runs. That number put the Bison at 6th in the nation for home runs.   Maddux attended high school at Campus High School in Wichita, Kansas where he was a three-time All-Conference selection, one time All-Metro, and one-time All-State selection. He received an Associate of Science degree from Pratt Community College in 2018 and a Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management from Arkansas Tech University in 2021.