Joel Weaver, a West Allis native, who was in the UW-Parkside baseball program as a player from 2000-2003 and was a Ranger assistant coach in 2004, took over as head coach prior to the 2010 season. As a player in 2004, Weaver helped guide the Rangers to a regular season conference crown. His goal as head coach is to return the Rangers to the elite level.
In his first year as the lead man, Weaver more than doubled the previous win total, while re-establishing the program both on and off the field. .
In year two, the Rangers continued their climb posting the program's best record since 2007 at 15-28. Dave Lojeski was named All-Region and All-GLVC after coming off an injury in 2009.
Now in year three, Weaver believes the program is ready to take the next step forward and make a push for a spot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.
"We're at a point now where we have an older group, a more mature roster, and we have a better idea of what we're trying to accomplish," he said. "This group is definitely prepared to play our style of baseball. They're hungry and they're more than willing to put in the work. I'm really proud of how far along these guys have come and this is going to be a year where our guys put into practice all these things we've been trying to establish since I got here."
Although Weaver dislikes the term rebuilding, he acknowledges there is a process to instilling the core values needed in a successful program. While the big picture expectations are the same, this year's squad is likely the most well-equipped he's had to follow through.
"Our goals haven't changed," said Weaver. "Our goal every year is to make the postseason and be one of the best teams in the conference. I think from an experience standpoint, a talent standpoint, and a preparation standpoint, this team has the ability to meet those goals."
After his assistant coaching stint at UW-Parkside, Weaver moved on to Wayne State (Nebraska) where he was an assistant coach in both the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He primarily served as the pitching coach and coordinated the recruiting efforts. From 2007-2009, Weaver was reunited with Tracy Archuleta at Southern Indiana, whom he coached for at UW-Parkside. At USI, Weaver was the top assistant on a team which made it to the College World Series in 2008. He helped guide a Screaming Eagle club which won a conference and regional championship that season. USI also made the NCAA tournament in 2009. Weaver helped mold the players who won a national championship at USI in 2010, while handing the Eagles a defeat as Ranger head coach.
Weaver originally came to UW-Parkside at the end of last decade as a recruit for then head coach Sal Bando, Jr. He still ranks No. 2 on the all-time UW-Parkside list for career appearances with 65. A right-hander, Weaver was a perfect 6-0 in his freshman season.
“I’m extremely excited to come back to the program I once played and coached for,” said Weaver. “This is a special opportunity for me. Even when I was with other schools, I always kept my eye on Parkside and tried to be as supportive as I could as an alum.”
Weaver resides in Kenosha with his wife Jocee and their one-year old son, Austin.
