Calvin University Baseball

Calvin University named Joel Schipper its new head baseball coach on Monday, July 1, 2024. In his debut season in 2025, Schipper led the Knights to a 23-18 record and a second place finish in the MIAA with a 15-6 conference record. Prior to taking the head coaching position at Calvin, Schipper spent three seasons as the head baseball coach at Hastings College (Neb.), where he improved the team's win total each year, including a 14-win campaign in 2024. He also was an assistant coach at Davenport in 2021 and spent two seasons as an assistant coach under Kevin Van Duyn at Calvin in 2019 and 2020. A Grand Rapids native, Schipper is a two-sport standout from Grand Valley State University, where he played baseball and football. As a baseball player, he appeared in 77 games and hit .321 as a junior, winning GLIAC championships in each of his three seasons. As a kicker, he made 49 field goal attempts and ended his career as the 2nd leading scorer in GVSU football history with 54 consecutive starts. He graduated from GVSU in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and sports leadership and earned his master's degree in recreation and sport sciences from Ohio University in 2021. A Grand Rapids Christian High School alum, Schipper earned All-State honors in baseball, football, and soccer and was part of three state championship teams.

Hired as Calvin Baseball Graduate Assistant and Recruiting Coordinator in summer of 2025. Assisting with Recruiting, primary catching, assistant hitting and defense

Jim Schipper joins the Calvin University Baseball program as a Volunteer Assistant Coach, Director of Baseball Operations under head coach, Joel Schipper. The

Nate Roede was hired as Calvin baseball assistant in the summer of 2024. He began his coaching career as a varsity assistant baseball coach at Zeeland West in 2023-24, helping the program to back-to-back 20+ wins seasons. Roede played collegiate baseball for five seasons at Wayne State University, where he was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He earned multiple honors including Athletic Director's Honor Roll selections in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022, and Coach's Honor Roll in 2018, 2019, and 2021. He graduated from Wayne State with a bachelor's degree in business management with a minor in sports management. A graduate of Byron Center High School, Roede was a three-year varsity letterwinner and two-time team captain who earned All-conference and All-Region selections in 2015, 2016, and 2017, hitting .398 with 15 doubles and 30 RBI as a senior.