Head Baseball Coach Ryan Kelley
Ryan Kelley, who was named head coach in September of 2008, concluded his 16th year at the helm of the Wayne State University baseball program in the spring of 2024. The ninth head coach in the 83-year history of WSU baseball, Kelley’s .614 winning percentage (484-304-1) is the best among coaches in program history.
He became the program's all-time winningest coach with two wins on April 23, 2017, passing 14-year head coach Rodger George (1989-2002). Kelley notched career win No. 400 with WSU's 8-2 triumph over Grand Valley State on April 16, 2022. Then came win No. 450 with a 7-4 defeat of Davenport on May 6, 2023, the victory that also sealed the GLIAC Regular Season Championship for the Warriors.
He has been with the Warriors for 22 seasons after serving as an assistant coach for six years (2003-08), including three as WSU’s pitching coach.
The 2023 edition of Wayne State baseball racked up 42 wins (42-13), five more than the previous program best of 37 recorded in 2022. The Warriors also accounted for 24 GLIAC victories (24-6), which tied the school record set in 1999. WSU won both the GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships before appearing in a second consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Twelve Warriors were named to the All-GLIAC Teams including six on the First Team, four on the Second Team and two on the Honorable Mention Team. Kelley was named GLIAC Coach of the Year (second time in his career), Rudy Ramirez was named GLIAC Player of the Year, Karter Fitzpatrick was named GLIAC Pitcher of the Year, and Tony Hatzigeorgiou was named GLIAC Freshman Player of the Year. Ramirez and Fitzpatrick were joined on the First Team by Brett Zimmerman, Chris Tanderys, Hunter DeLanoy, and Ryan Korolden. CJ Maury, Ryan Foley, Seth Marano, and Brennan Cox were featured on the second team while Griffin Kilander and Noah Miller earned an Honorable Mention nod.
Then, All-Region wise, Fitzpatrick (2x First Team), Ramirez (2x First Team), Korolden (2x Second Team), Tanderys (First and Second Team), DeLanoy (Honorable Mention), and Foley (Honorable Mention) received honors.
The 2022 Warriors compiled a 37-19 record, winning two games in each the GLIAC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. The 37 victories, at the time, were a school record. WSU then hosted an NCAA Tournament regional on campus for the first time in program history.
In addition, the squad posted the highest fielding percentage (.975) in program history with the seventh-most assists (508). The 379 strikeouts recorded by WSU hurlers in 2022 were the third-most in school history, while the ERA of 4.37 is the sixth best (at least 115 IP).
Offensively, the 2022 Warriors shattered the school records for walks (281), RBI (388), and runs (446), while the 794 total bases rank second all-time. The 41 home runs were the most in 12 years (third all-time), while the 104 doubles rank fourth all-time.