Jordan Bischel Named Central Michigan Baseball Coach

June 28, 2018

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Jordan Bischel, who took the Northwood University baseball team to unprecedented heights, was named coach of the Central Michigan program today.

Associate Vice President and Athletics Director Michael Alford will introduce Bischel to campus at a press conference is scheduled for 3 p.m. today.

Bischel comes to CMU from Northwood, where he served as head baseball coach the past four seasons. He also was the assistant athletic director for business operations and ticketing.

"We had excellent candidates from around the country for this position, and Jordan separated himself with his drive for student-athlete excellence on the field and in the classroom," Alford said. "He is a proven winner who values the complete development of his student-athletes, highlighted by the fact that his squad had at least a 3.3 GPA every year. Jordan, also being a member of the administrative staff at Northwood, shows he has the tools necessary to run a successful Division 1 program.

"I was impressed during our conversation with his outstanding knowledge of every facet of the game and his philosophy to motivate and grow our baseball student-athletes. He understands the tremendous history and expectations that surround our baseball program and will embrace the challenge of returning our program to a championship level."

When Bischel took over at Northwood in June 2014, the Timberwolves were coming off an 18-27 season, during which they hit just eight home runs. Northwood had not won more than 25 games in a season since 1998. The Timberwolves surged to a 28-23 record in 2015 under Bischel and won 25 games in 2016.

In 2017, the Bischel-led Timberwolves posted a .320 team batting average and socked 46 home runs en route to a 46-13 record and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference regular-season and tournament championships. The Timberwolves also advanced to the Midwest Regional final in the program's first appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

This year, the Timberwolves hit 51 home runs, went 38-16 and repeated as the GLIAC champions both in the regular season and the league tournament. Bischel, who compiled a 137-76 record at Northwood, is the first baseball coach in school history to record four consecutive winning seasons. Prior to Bischel's arrival at Northwood, the school had never won a league baseball championship.

Bischel, named the GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2018, said he is eager to get started in Mount Pleasant.

"I'm very thankful for the opportunity afforded me by Michael (Alford) and Central Michigan," he said. "CMU has an outstanding baseball tradition and I am honored that I have been chosen to be a part of that tradition and build upon it.

"I'm incredibly lucky to live in a wonderful area, mid-Michigan, and I am grateful for the administration, the coaches and the players at Northwood who put so much into building that program. I am lucky to have been a part of all of that. I am excited to get to work at Central Michigan."

Bischel takes over a storied program at Central Michigan. He is just the sixth CMU baseball coach in the last 65 years, and the program is 1,968-1,209-13 since 1953. The Chippewas have reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times, but the last was in 1995. CMU joined the Mid-American Conference in 1973 and is 707-418-1 in league play with 13 MAC regular-season titles and two MAC Tournament championships.

The Chippewas are coming off a 29-30-1 season, 16-11 in the MAC.

Before Northwood, Bischel went 74-45 as coach in two seasons at Midland University in Fremont, Neb. The Warriors won 31 games in his first season, an 18-victory improvement. He also coached the Wisconsin Woodchucks in the Northwoods League for four seasons, served as the pitching coach for three seasons at Northwest Missouri State and was an assistant coach at John Carroll and St. Norbert College.

Bischel was an academic all-conference first baseman and pitcher at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin from 2000-03. He was an all-conference player and team captain as a senior.

Bischel and his wife Katie have 1-year-old twin sons, Luke and Parker.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JORDAN BISCHEL

"I have received nothing but outstanding reports concerning him and what he's done as a coach in college baseball and in summer baseball. He's had tremendous success. Northwood's program, when he took over, had not been a major factor in their conference and he turned it into a winning program. He appears to be extremely well organized, he presents himself very well, he's had great success, and he comes highly recommended. All indications are that he is an outstanding person and is a great coach."

- Dave Keilitz, former CMU player, coach, athletic director and member of the CMU Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Fame

"I'm very excited about the selection. I have watched Jordan at Northwood the past few years and then in the summer time and I have gotten to know him. I think No. 1 he's a real good character person, truly a good person. I think he is a very effective quiet leader, and humble. He can coach a championship-level team. I'm excited that he's coming to Central and hopefully he is going to take the program to more championships."

- Dan Cronkright, former CMU star player, a member of the CMU Marcy Weston Athletics Hall of Fame, and an American Legion baseball coach in Midland

"We are very grateful to coach Bischel for all he has done for Northwood University and our baseball program. His impact on our program has been phenomenal. We wish him the best in this new opportunity at Central Michigan and know he will be successful in leading the Chippewas as well."

- David Marsh, Northwood athletic director

"One of biggest things with Jordan is that he holds the kids accountable. He introduced an approach to the game that was brand new to almost all the kids and he got them to buy in and believe in what his philosophy of the game was and how to get the most out of it. Within the first year you saw a difference in that team in the camaraderie and how the players treated each other. There was a closeness, a bond and their performance improved. It was a blessing to see that happen. My son grew on and off the field from having been in the program there. He went in as a pretty good ballplayer and an average student to a ballplayer who was being scouted to an above-average student."

- Dan Pulver of Mount Pleasant and a former Chippewa player, the father of Daniel Tulver, who played at Northwood under Bischel.

Central Michigan University Athletics

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