Joe Kelch is in his second season as Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the NIU baseball program.
In his first season in DeKalb, the Huskies won 21 games to more than double the previous season's win total. NIU also went 14-16 in the MAC, a nine-win improvement. The Huskies earned victories over Power Five programs in Cincinnati and Northwestern. Three NIU student-athletes were named to the All-MAC Second Team - catcher Colin Summerhill, outfielder Eric Erato and pitcher Adam Brouwer. Summerhill broke the NIU single-season home run record with 19 longballs. Erato also earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.
Kelch came to DeKalb after serving as an assistant coach at SIUE for the 2023 season. Prior to that he was the Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator under Copeland at Illinois-Springfield from 2020-22. The Prairie Stars offense ranked in the top 10 in NCAA Division II in runs per game with Kelch as hitting coach, averaging over 10 runs per game in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
“I’m excited to announce the addition of Joe Kelch to our coaching staff,” said Copeland. “He will serve as our hitting coach, work with our infielders and handle our recruiting efforts. He’s a relentless recruiter that develops strong relationships with student-athletes. Joe has led some of the most potent offenses in college baseball. There is no doubt in my mind that Joe will be an integral part of our success going forward.”
In 2022, UIS went 48-11 and won its first Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament championship. The Prairie Stars won both their NCAA Regional and Super Regional to advance to their first NCAA Division II National Tournament. UIS was sixth in the nation in scoring offense at 10.0 runs per game and also ranked among the top-10 nationally in walks, doubles, hits, home runs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Kelch coached a pair of All-Americans including Zion Pettigrew, the GLVC and Midwest Regional Player of the Year.
“I am very grateful to NIU for the opportunity to work here,” Kelch said. “[Vice President/Director of Athletics and Recreation] Sean Frazier, [Deputy Athletic Director] John Cheney and the whole athletic staff has been incredibly welcoming. I want to thank Ryan Copeland for trusting me to be a part of his staff again. Ryan and I have worked together in the past and look to bring that level of success to the Huskies. I’m looking forward to getting to know our student-athletes and getting started here at NIU.”
Kelch was on staff at Bradley for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In his first season in Peoria, the Braves improved by 12 wins from the year prior and finished with a 32-19 record. Under Kelch’s coaching, Bradley’s batting average improved 28 points to .294. Bradley had another 30-win season in 2019.
As a player, Kelch played in 163 games at Illinois State from 2012-2016. He earned Second-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors as a junior in 2015 after hitting .338 with four home runs, eight doubles, 24 RBI and 18 runs. He started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at SIUE in 2017 when the Cougars showed a 14-win improvement with a 23-29 record. SIUE batters hit .293 that year and averaged 6.6 runs per game, 2.5 more runs per game than the season prior.
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