University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Carl Iwasaki steps down as Northern Colorado Head Coach
5/22/2022 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado Baseball skipper Carl Iwasaki has announced he is stepping aside as head coach Sunday.
"I cannot express how fortunate I've been over these last 12 years," said Iwasaki. "We've been able to accomplish some amazing things since I arrived back in Greeley and I truly feel like the next great era of UNC Baseball is on the horizon. The passion, culture and commitment from our players, coaches and administration have put this program on a path to success.
I want to thank Jay Hinrichs for taking a chance on me, Darren Dunn for his unwavering support, my fellow coaches for pushing me, our support staff for their hard work and dedication, and of course the players for believing in our mission. For the last decade, this job has been about the people and it's the amazing people who have helped the Bears get to this point and will undoubtedly push Northern Colorado to new heights in the future. I believe my greatest accomplishment has been the successes former players and assistant coaches have achieved after the ninth inning at Jackson Field."
Over the past 12 seasons at the helm of the Blue and Gold, Iwasaki has amassed over 200 wins, making the Hawaii native the fourth-winningest coach in program history behind legendary coaches L.C. "Pete" Butler, Tom Petroff and Terry Hensley. Throughout the totality of his career, Iwasaki has piled up more than 300 victories.
"We want to congratulate coach Iwasaki on an outstanding career," said Director of Athletics Darren Dunn. "As a distinguished alumnus, Carl has always known what it takes to be a Bear both on and off the field. His impact on the hundreds of young men he's coached extends far beyond the baseball diamond. We want to wish Carl and his wife Shelley all the best in their future endeavors!"
Seven times Iwasaki led the Bears to a conference tournament appearance across two different conferences (Great West Conference and Western Athletic Conference). In 2013, Iwasaki was voted Great West Coach of the Year after leading Northern Colorado to its first GWC regular-season title with a 20-7 mark in league play.
Under his watch, dozens of student-athletes have landed on All-Conference teams and earned All-Academic awards. He was integral in the recruitment and development of Jensen Park who earned both Great West Player of the Year in 2013 and WAC Player of the Year in 2015. Park would inevitably be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2015.
Jensen was one of two of Iwasaki's players to be drafted with Jarod Berggren also taken by the Rockies in 2011. Nearly a dozen others have gone on to play professionally in the minor leagues during his tenure.
Iwasaki blazed the path for groundbreaking facility upgrades, moved UNC into a conference with an NCAA Automatic berth and preached academic success. In fact, in his last season at the helm of the Bears, eight student-athletes landed on the Summit League Commissioner's Academic List.
He spent six years at Austin College before landing at his alma mater. From 1980-84, Iwasaki starred as UNC's catcher.
A national search will begin immediately for the next Northern Colorado Baseball coach.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.
"I cannot express how fortunate I've been over these last 12 years," said Iwasaki. "We've been able to accomplish some amazing things since I arrived back in Greeley and I truly feel like the next great era of UNC Baseball is on the horizon. The passion, culture and commitment from our players, coaches and administration have put this program on a path to success.
I want to thank Jay Hinrichs for taking a chance on me, Darren Dunn for his unwavering support, my fellow coaches for pushing me, our support staff for their hard work and dedication, and of course the players for believing in our mission. For the last decade, this job has been about the people and it's the amazing people who have helped the Bears get to this point and will undoubtedly push Northern Colorado to new heights in the future. I believe my greatest accomplishment has been the successes former players and assistant coaches have achieved after the ninth inning at Jackson Field."
Over the past 12 seasons at the helm of the Blue and Gold, Iwasaki has amassed over 200 wins, making the Hawaii native the fourth-winningest coach in program history behind legendary coaches L.C. "Pete" Butler, Tom Petroff and Terry Hensley. Throughout the totality of his career, Iwasaki has piled up more than 300 victories.
"We want to congratulate coach Iwasaki on an outstanding career," said Director of Athletics Darren Dunn. "As a distinguished alumnus, Carl has always known what it takes to be a Bear both on and off the field. His impact on the hundreds of young men he's coached extends far beyond the baseball diamond. We want to wish Carl and his wife Shelley all the best in their future endeavors!"
Seven times Iwasaki led the Bears to a conference tournament appearance across two different conferences (Great West Conference and Western Athletic Conference). In 2013, Iwasaki was voted Great West Coach of the Year after leading Northern Colorado to its first GWC regular-season title with a 20-7 mark in league play.
Under his watch, dozens of student-athletes have landed on All-Conference teams and earned All-Academic awards. He was integral in the recruitment and development of Jensen Park who earned both Great West Player of the Year in 2013 and WAC Player of the Year in 2015. Park would inevitably be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2015.
Jensen was one of two of Iwasaki's players to be drafted with Jarod Berggren also taken by the Rockies in 2011. Nearly a dozen others have gone on to play professionally in the minor leagues during his tenure.
Iwasaki blazed the path for groundbreaking facility upgrades, moved UNC into a conference with an NCAA Automatic berth and preached academic success. In fact, in his last season at the helm of the Bears, eight student-athletes landed on the Summit League Commissioner's Academic List.
He spent six years at Austin College before landing at his alma mater. From 1980-84, Iwasaki starred as UNC's catcher.
A national search will begin immediately for the next Northern Colorado Baseball coach.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Baseball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.
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