The new NIU head baseball coach, Ryan Copeland, brings a winning record from his last job and clearly wants to make the same happen in his new assignment as leader of the Huskies. Copeland is a native of Des Plaines and attended Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal. A standout left-handed pitcher, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and spent three years with their organization. He later returned to ISU to complete his degree and then began his coaching career with them. He moved on to the University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS) for the 2016 season and became head coach in 2020. Overall, his teams at UIS achieved a record of 131-38.
Copeland says he is approaching his new job on two levels. There is the Micro level where he will be working to get the most each outing from the players that were recruited prior to him joining the organization. He said he does have a couple of transfer players from his old school, but for the most part is working a playbook that looks at what his available talent has to offer, not necessarily the type of game he would ideally play. Copeland says his other level is the Macro outlook, where he begins recruiting players to build a program that he says can be the best program in the Division.
Copeland admits that new NCAA rules make college sports almost a constant recruiting activity for coaches. He said college players can now change schools without any waiting periods before playing again and potential players are pursued very early in their high school careers. He says things that will make a difference for building strong NIU teams are their core values stressing conditioning, studying, and mental health awareness. The quality of campus life is also important, said Copeland, including a commitment to volunteerism in the community.