Ryan Strain - Baseball Coach - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Ryan Strain

Title:
Assistant Coach
Alma Mater:
Nevada, 2003

Ryan Strain served as the Southern Illinois hitting coach for seven seasons (2011-17). Under his guidance, 13 Salukis have earned All-MVC honors in seven seasons and Chris Serritella was an All-American and fourth-round MLB Draft pick in 2012.

Strain implemented a new running game in 2017 and turned the Salukis into one of the fastest teams in the nation. SIU stole more than twice as many bases as any other team in the MVC and ranked 11th nationally during the regular season. Southern stole 100 bases during the season while also having the highest success rate on steals in the MVC.

The 100 steals were the most for SIU as a program since 1991. Connor Kopach stole 33 bases, which was also the most for any Saluki since 1991. Kopach tied a school record with four steals in a game vs. No. 26 Tennessee Tech. Kopach and Ryan Smith--who both earned All-MVC honors after the season--ranked 1-2 in the league in stolen bases.

After three years working with Strain, Saluki sluggers Greg Lambert and Nick Hutchins were taken in the 2017 MLB Draft. Lambert was taken in the 21st round by the San Diego Padres, and Hutchins was taken in the 27th round by the Kansas City Royals.

In 2017, Greg Lambert earned first-team All-MVC after hitting 25 doubles during the regular season, which ranked third in the NCAA and set an SIU single-season record. Lambert, Logan Blackfan and Chris Serritella ranks 1-2-3 in single-season doubles at SIU, and all three were coached by Strain in the last seven season.

Blackfan, Kopach and Lambert earned All-MVC honors after SIU's 31-win season in 2016. Blackfan led the league in doubles with 23.

Serritella, who was selected by the Phillies, was a first-team All-American under Strain and the SIU coaching staff in 2012 after hitting .389 with 24 doubles, 13 home runs and 61 RBIs. He led the MVC in batting average, hits, doubles and runs scored that year. Jordan Sivertsen, another Saluki, tied with Serritella for the MVC statistical crown in home runs that season.

Playing in spacious Abe Martin Field, the 2013 Salukis tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference with 24 home runs and finished third in the Valley in hits (552) and total bases (735).

In 2012, Strain worked with one of the best offensive teams in the conference. The Salukis finished with a team batting average of .294, second highest in the Missouri Valley. In addition, SIU led the conference in slugging percentage (.436), runs scored (378), hits (610), RBIs (342), doubles (125), home runs (50), extra-base hits (185) and total bases (905) in 2012. The team's 125 doubles matched a school record.

In 2011, his first season at Southern, Strain helped rejuvenate several players at the plate. Outfielder Jordan Sivertsen hit .230 in his first two seasons, but after one year working with Strain, Sivertsen hit .302 and received second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference accolades. Sivertsen led the team with nine home runs and 48 RBIs and ranked in the top 10 in the MVC in sacrifice flies (second), doubles (tied fourth), home runs (tied sixth), RBIs (seventh), slugging percentage (eighth) and walks (ninth).

Strain joined SIU after serving three seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Colorado. At UNC from 2008-10, Strain was in charge of coaching the UNC hitters and infield defense while also serving as the recruiting and camp coordinators.

In his time at Northern Colorado, Strain led a club that set 28 new school records. The 2010 season was a big one for UNC, as the Bears finished with a 34-24 overall record and 22-6 mark in the Great West Conference. Along the way UNC set new school records in runs scored (510), hits (740), doubles (142), home runs (80) and RBIs (478). Northern Colorado also turned a school record 62 double plays in 2010 under his guidance.

Strain was instrumental in leading utility player Mark Shannon to freshman All-America honors, as Shannon became UNC's first freshman All-American. Shannon hit .326 on the year and was the Great West Conference Newcomer of the Year.

Prior to his time at Northern Colorado, Strain spent two years as the graduate manager with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. While with the Huskers, he assisted the coaching staff with on-field duties, including helping with batting practice, while overseeing the undergraduate managers and helping with team video. He also assisted in on-campus recruiting and helped in the day-to-day operations of the program. Strain was also an instructor in the Nebraska Baseball Academy, giving hitting lessons and running camps.

In the summer of 2006, Strain was an assistant coach for the St. Cloud Riverbats in the Northwoods League. There he served as the hitting and infield coach, helping St. Cloud lead the Northwoods League in hitting during the 2006 campaign.

Strain began his career playing at North Carolina State before transferring to Nevada. Following his collegiate career, he played two seasons in the San Francisco Giants organization and one year for the Rockford RiverHawks in the independent professional Frontier League.

Strain was a three-sport standout at Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colo., earning All-State honors as a senior in baseball. He led Cherry Creek to three straight state titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and was inducted into the Cherry Creek Hall of Fame in 2011.

He earned his undergraduate degree in secondary education/history from Nevada in 2003 and his master's degree in educational administration from Nebraska in 2007. He and his wife Katie married in 2008. They have three children: daughter Addison (born July 2011) and two sons, Colt (born December 2014) and Mickey (born August 2016). They currently reside in Carbondale.