Some mention about the Iowa job.
Iowa Western was 45-14 this season and was ranked No. 2 when it fell short in the district tourney.
"Two-out hits win championships, but we weren’t getting them," Rardin said. "If we would’ve had two of them, we win. That’s the difference. And that’s what makes what we’ve done up to this point amazing. Nothing detoured us from winning. In baseball, that’s pretty good." Rardin said the victories and championships are meaningful because they’ve proven the system he’s incorporated at Iowa Western works. From the beginning, he’s wanted his staff to recruit aggressively, be organized and have a sense of urgency to get the right players.
And, most of all, he wanted his program at IWCC to have a big-time feel about it.
"This is my Baylor, my Florida State, my Cal State-Fullerton," he said. "We’re going to do things a certain way. We’re not going to short-change ourselves and think of this as a glorified high school or community college, that we’re a bunch of renegades that nobody wants. "There’s not an ounce of rag-tag disorganization to it."
Rardin said a key to the consistent success for the Reivers is the ability to recruit the type of players that fit his system. He’s also made sure his staff didn’t deviate from that practice once the team won a national title, saying he told his assistants not to "forget how we got here."
IWCC has a track record of landing talented players that have moved on to success at the NCAA Division I level. In fact, former Reivers Keaton Steele, Tanner Krietemeier, Sam Bumpers, Brandon Bass and Brandon Tierney all received postseason honors by the conferences of their respective D-I schools this week. "Those guys are my kids," Rardin said. "The cool thing is knowing where they come from and how hard they worked for us here. There’s incredible pride for me."
Four-year schools have taken notice. A number of coaches have visited Iowa Western, Rardin said, just to see how he runs his program. He’s also done plenty of speaking around the Midwest and has recorded a pair of coaching videos through Championship Productions.
Still, he hasn’t been asked much about leaving Council Bluffs. However, Rardin’s name has been brought up in connection with the vacancy at Iowa and the athletic director from McNeese State has inquired about his interest in the head coaching position at his school.
The Iowa job, in particular, could get Rardin’s attention. He "grew up a Hawkeye" on a farm near Lamont in the northeast part of the state and is familiar with the program in Iowa City. No one from the school has contacted him. Rardin suggested he’d take a wait-and-see approach, knowing it isn’t often that a big four-year school calls on a junior college coach.
He also knows he’s built something unique at Iowa Western.
"I’ve got a great job here and a great situation," he said. "This place is special. We win, and win big, and there’s a reason why. If I’m here for the next 15 years, there won’t be one tear in my milk."
This post was edited on 6/2 12:19 PM by Arbitr8
Establish National Power under Marc Rardin
Iowa Western was 45-14 this season and was ranked No. 2 when it fell short in the district tourney.
"Two-out hits win championships, but we weren’t getting them," Rardin said. "If we would’ve had two of them, we win. That’s the difference. And that’s what makes what we’ve done up to this point amazing. Nothing detoured us from winning. In baseball, that’s pretty good." Rardin said the victories and championships are meaningful because they’ve proven the system he’s incorporated at Iowa Western works. From the beginning, he’s wanted his staff to recruit aggressively, be organized and have a sense of urgency to get the right players.
And, most of all, he wanted his program at IWCC to have a big-time feel about it.
"This is my Baylor, my Florida State, my Cal State-Fullerton," he said. "We’re going to do things a certain way. We’re not going to short-change ourselves and think of this as a glorified high school or community college, that we’re a bunch of renegades that nobody wants. "There’s not an ounce of rag-tag disorganization to it."
Rardin said a key to the consistent success for the Reivers is the ability to recruit the type of players that fit his system. He’s also made sure his staff didn’t deviate from that practice once the team won a national title, saying he told his assistants not to "forget how we got here."
IWCC has a track record of landing talented players that have moved on to success at the NCAA Division I level. In fact, former Reivers Keaton Steele, Tanner Krietemeier, Sam Bumpers, Brandon Bass and Brandon Tierney all received postseason honors by the conferences of their respective D-I schools this week. "Those guys are my kids," Rardin said. "The cool thing is knowing where they come from and how hard they worked for us here. There’s incredible pride for me."
Four-year schools have taken notice. A number of coaches have visited Iowa Western, Rardin said, just to see how he runs his program. He’s also done plenty of speaking around the Midwest and has recorded a pair of coaching videos through Championship Productions.
Still, he hasn’t been asked much about leaving Council Bluffs. However, Rardin’s name has been brought up in connection with the vacancy at Iowa and the athletic director from McNeese State has inquired about his interest in the head coaching position at his school.
The Iowa job, in particular, could get Rardin’s attention. He "grew up a Hawkeye" on a farm near Lamont in the northeast part of the state and is familiar with the program in Iowa City. No one from the school has contacted him. Rardin suggested he’d take a wait-and-see approach, knowing it isn’t often that a big four-year school calls on a junior college coach.
He also knows he’s built something unique at Iowa Western.
"I’ve got a great job here and a great situation," he said. "This place is special. We win, and win big, and there’s a reason why. If I’m here for the next 15 years, there won’t be one tear in my milk."
This post was edited on 6/2 12:19 PM by Arbitr8
Establish National Power under Marc Rardin
