Southwestern Christian University Men's Baseball

VP of Athletics | Athletic Director | Head Baseball Coach Joe Blackwell enters his eleventh season as head coach of the Southwestern Christian University baseball program, having taken the helm prior to the 2015 season. A foundational figure in SCU baseball, Blackwell originally joined the staff during its inaugural 2014 campaign as associate head coach. He also serves the university as Associate Vice President of Athletics and Admissions. Under Blackwell’s leadership, the Eagles have become a perennial powerhouse in the NCCAA, averaging 40 wins per season and earning nine consecutive trips to the NCCAA World Series. His teams have posted two 47-win campaigns, and in 2024, the Eagles captured the program’s first NCCAA National Championship, following runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2023. SCU saw immediate progress in Blackwell’s first year, improving by 18 wins over the prior season and posting a .500 record at 26-26. In 2016, the program reached new heights with a 44-17 mark, a third-place finish in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC), and its first NCCAA World Series appearance. That year, Blackwell was honored as the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year. During his tenure, Blackwell has developed an impressive list of standout players, coaching 35 NCCAA All-Central Region selections, 36 All-SAC selections, and 27 NCCAA All-Americans, 2 NAIA All- Americans, 3 Players of the year, and 4 Pitchers of the Year. Blackwell has been named as NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year 5 times and NCCAA National Coach of the Year in 2024.   Before arriving at SCU, Blackwell spent over a decade coaching elite-level travel and select teams across Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas. He also contributed five years to the baseball program at Tuttle High School. He holds certification from the National Federation of High School Coaches as an accredited interscholastic coach. A native of Oklahoma City, Blackwell graduated from Moore High School and played collegiate at Rose State College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University and Masters Business Administrations from Concordia University. Blackwell and his wife, Dana, have been married for 30 years. They have two children, Blake and his wife Kaley, Shelby and her husband Gage, and a grandson and granddaughter. 2015: 26-26 2016: 44-17 2017: 40-25 (NCCAA Semifinals) 2018: 40-23 2019: 47-17 (Central Region Champions) 2021: 47-13 (NCCAA National Runner Up) 2022: 28-27 2023: 37-22 (NCCAA National Runner Up) 2024: 33-24 (NCCAA National Champions) 2025: 33-18 (Central Region Champions)   Overall: 375-212 (.638)

Blackwell and the Eagles reached new heights in the in the 2016 campaign going 44-17 overall and 16-8 in SAC play. SCU spent much of the season as the top-ranked team in NCCAA baseball and broke into the NAIA baseball top-25 coaches poll for the first time in program history.  The Eagles finished the regular season third in the SAC standings and participated in the NCCAA World Series for the first time in program history. Blackwell joined the SCU coaching staff in its inaugural season in 2014 as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. He also serves as SCUs Associate Vice President of Athletics and Operations. Prior to joining the SCU baseball staff, Blackwell spent 11 years coaching travel/select teams that participated in events in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Blackwell is certified with the National Federation of High School Coaches as an accredited interscholastic coach. In addition to his travel/select team experience, Blackwell spent five years working with the baseball program at Tuttle High School. Blackwell, a native of Oklahoma City, graduated from Moore High School and played collegiately at Rose State. After his playing career, Blackwell graduated with a bachelors degree in organizational leadership from Southern Nazarene. He received his MBA from Concordia University in May 2015. Blackwell and his wife, Dana, have been married 20 years and have two children, Blake and Shelby.   2015: 26-26 2016: 44-17 Tim Braaten enters his fourth season as a member of the Southwestern Christian University coaching staff. Braaten serves as associate head coach and as is in charge of player development.  Braaten, a native of Broken Arrow, Okla., joined the SCU baseball program in 2014 after serving as an assistant coach at Bethany High School. At Bethany, he served as hitting coach and worked with the teams infielders. Braaten also runs a summer baseball organization called the Bethany Bulls. The Bulls compete on the high school level in American Legion as well as on the collegiate level in Kansas Jayhawk League. Braaten graduated with a bachelors degree in social studies and education from Southern Nazarene and is currently pursing a masters degree at SCU. Braaten and his wife, Nikki, live in Bethany, Okla. Zachery Gonzales enters his second year as a student assistant coach. Gonzales will also serve as head coach for the SCU junior varisity. Gonzales has worked for a showcase organization called the Houston Elite as the head 16u coach. After a year there, he began his own organization called the Texas Royals. The Texas Royals are a showcase organization designed to help young men reach their goals of playing college baseball. They play during the fall and summer seasons and compete on a national stage against some of the top talent the nation has to offer. Gonzales, a senior from Houston, is currently working towards his bachelor's degree in Business Management at SCU. Kyle Vail joins the Southwestern Christian University coaching staff for the 2017 season as pitching coach. Vail, a native of Moore, Okla., spent the last two seasons as a member of the Eagles starting rotation, going 15-11 with an earned run average of 3.69. He is SCUs all-time strikeout leader with 208 career Ks. Vail was twice named to the all-Sooner Athletic Conference team as well as the NCCAA all-Central Region squad. in 2015 he was named NCCAA Central Region Pitcher of the year and was an NCCAA all-American. Vail began his college career at Wichita State where he posted a 2.45 ERA in four appearances. Prior to joining the Eagles in 2015, Vail played one season at Southern Nazarene where he notched a 5.18 ERA in 57.1 innings of work. Vail is set to graduate in the spring of 2017 with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management.