Mike Ott was named Kalamazoo College's head baseball coach in June of 2012. The 2023 D3baseball.com Region 7 Coach of the Year is Kalamazoo's winningest coach with 225 career wins. Ott has led the Hornets to MIAA regular season and tournament championships and two NCAA Regionals.
Career at Kalamazoo College
Named head coach on June 14, 2012
Led Kalamazoo to the MIAA regular season championship in 2023, the program's first since 1927
D3baseball.com Region 7 Coach of the Year (2023)
Led the program to its first NCAA Regional appearances (2016, 2022)
First NCAA Regional win in 2022 (8-7 in 10 innings over Mt. Aloysious)
Two 30-win seasons, including the first in program history (2017)
Seven 20-win seasons
Became Kalamazoo's all-time winningest coach in 2022
Won 200th game in 2023 (vs. Williams)
Won 100th game in 2017 (vs. Hope)
Under Coach Ott
Kalamazoo's first All-Region, All-American and Academic All-American in program history
D3baseball.com National Rookie of the Year (Ryar Rinehart, 2023)
Two MIAA MVP's (Ryar Rinehart, 2023; Ryan Orr, 2017)
Regularly placed players on the national stage in some of the most prestigious summer collegiate leagues, including the Cape Cod League
Multiple players earned all-star bids in summer collegiate leagues
Four players played professionally after K
MIAA Team GPA Award seven consecutive years (2017-23), an MIAA record
Program recognized multiple times for its volunteer work in the community
Broke most individual and team records
PreviousCoaching Experience
Kalamazoo Growlers Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach (2014)
Holland Christian High School Head Coach (2005-12)
- Led the Maroons to conference championships (2005, 2008), district championships (2006, 2011), and the school's first regional championship and state quarterfinal appearance (2006)
- Ranked in the state seven consecutive seasons, including the first No. 1 ranking (2007)
- Program's first 30-win season (2011)
- Six 20-win seasons
Calvin College Assistant/Pitching Coach (2002-04)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Assistant (2011-12)
UNLV Assistant (2006-07)
Playing Career
Pitcher and two-year captain at Calvin College (1999-2002), helping the Knights to MIAA championships in 2000 and 2002
Pitched professionally in the Frontier & Northern Leagues before retiring after two shoulder surgeries
Personal
Graduated from Calvin College in 2002 with a degree in elementary education
Earned a master's degree in athletic administration/sports studies from Western Michigan University in 2006
Resides in Portage with his wife, Lynsey, and their children, Payton and Addison