Links
SIDHelp
2008 Baseball
 Karl Kling
Karl Kling - Head Coach
 Coach Kling & Family
Karl Kling enters his fifth season as the head coach of the Concordia Baseball Team as the second winningest coach in Concordia history with 74 wins (trailing only Chuck Boerger's eight-year total of 76).
 
Last season, the Cardinals finished with a 19-29 mark, the first time in the Kling era the team didn't finish with more wins than the season prior. In 2006, the Cards set a school record with 23 wins, being the only team in school history to win more than 20 games. In the history of the program, three of the four top seasons in regard to win total have been coached by Kling.

In 2005, Kling guided the Cardinals to their first-ever postseason appearance. The team was one win away from the NAIA Regionals, but fell 5-4 in 16 innings to fall a game short. The 2006 season featured the Cardinals making the second straight playoff appearance, and ended again with Concordia a mere win away from the first-ever Regional appearance. The 2006 squad fell to Indiana Tech 7-5, leaving the bases loaded in the top of the ninth.

In his four seasons, the Cardinals have won 74 games. From 1993 through 2003, an 11-year stretch, Concordia baseball amassed only 75 wins.

Prior to being hired as Head Coach in the summer of 2003, Kling served as an assistant coach to Tim Taylor for two seasons working primarily with the Cardinal outfield and catching corps.

Recently Kling has served as the Director of the Midwest Baseball Academy Camp, hosted by Concordia; was a guest instructor for the independent league Traverse City Beach Bum winter camp, served as the Capital City Classic All-Star game coach held at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing; worked as a instructor for Triple Crown Sports at their Omaha and Myrtle Beach national showcases and has recently agreed to serve as the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference baseball chair for the 2008 season.

In addition to serving as the baseball coach, Kling will return as Sports Information Director for a third season after spending the two previous years as the University's Athletic Director. Wanting to focus more on the development of the baseball team, Kling stepped down as AD in June of 2005.

Prior to joining the Concordia family, Kling was the pitching and catching coach at South Lyon High School for two seasons. Prior to that, he coached at Pontiac Notre Dame Prepatory High School for five years, as an assistant coach. During that time, the Fighting Irish won the Catholic League C-D championship in 1997. Overall, Kling has been a coach for the past 17 years.

Kling has had a vast and varying career in addition to athletics. Before joining Concordia on a full-time basis in 2003, Kling was editor of The Milford Times, which was named Michigan's Newspaper of the Year in 2002, as well as being awarded First Place in General Excellence from the Michigan Press Association for the year 2001, and Third Place in General Excellence from the Suburban Newspapers of America, also in 2001.

Kling has also served as a Chief of Staff for a state Senator in Lansing, as well as Executive Director of the Oakland County Republican Party for three years in the 1990's. Kling has worked on many political campaigns, most notably serving as the Michigan Director for the Alan Keyes for President campaign in 1996.

Kling currently resides in Howell with his wife Debra. They have four sons, Brandon, Hayden, Dawson and Ethan.
 
KARL KLING COACHING RECORD
 

YEAR

SCHOOL

OVERALL

CONFERENCE

PLAYOFFS

2003-04

Concordia

14-42

2-18

Did not qualify

2004-05

Concordia

18-28

5-11

WHAC Semifinals

2005-06

Concordia

23-28

7-9

WHAC Semifinals

2006-07

Concordia

19-29

9-13

Did not qualify

2007-08

Concordia

0-0

0-0

 

CAREER TOTAL

 

74-127

23-51