Casey Klunder
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Wartburg |
| Conference | ARC |
| Record | 72–56 (.563) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | Allison, Iowa, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 2003–2007 | Waldorf |
| Position | First baseman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2006–2021 | Waverly-Shell Rock HS (IA) |
| 2007–2008 | Wartburg (assistant) |
| 2022–2023 | Central IA |
| 2024–present | Wartburg |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 103–103 (.500) (college) 386–185 (.676) (high school) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| IHSAA 3A (2015) A-R-C Tournament (2026) | |
| Awards | |
| IHSBCA State Coach of the Year (2015) | |
Casey Klunder is an American baseball coach. He is the current head baseball coach at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, a position he has held since May 2023. Klunder played college baseball at Waldorf College—now known as Waldorf University—in Forest City, Iowa.
Coaching career
Waverly-Shell Rock High School
In 2006, Klunder took over as head baseball coach at Waverly-Shell Rock Senior High School (WSR) in Waverly, Iowa. He compiled an overall record of 386–185 as a Go-Hawk and led them to the schools first ever state baseball championship in 2015.[1] During his tenure they also were ranked in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) rankings for 14 straight years and reached as high as No. 1 on multiple occasions.[2] After their state championship in 2015, Klunder was named the 2015 IHSBCA Coach of the year, and he had coached in the IHSBCA All-Star game in both 2010 and 2016.[3] In his time with WSR they qualified for the state tournament four times, the last coming in his final season in 2021.[4]
Central College
On August 3, 2021, Klunder became the 22nd head baseball coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa.[5][6] The 2022 baseball season was his first at Central and first as a collegiate head coach. He started his tenure off with a 9–3 win over Wisconsin–Superior on March 8, 2023.[7] They finished the 2022 season with a 16–23 record.[8] In his second season with the Dutch, the team finished seventh in the American Rivers Conference (ARC), two places ahead of the 2022 season, with overall record of 15–24.[9] Klunder resigned from his position as head coach on May 18, 2023, to become the new head coach at Wartburg College.[10]
Wartburg College
On May 18, 2023, Klunder was named the 5th head baseball coach in program history at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.[11][12] He began his tenure at Wartburg with a 12–4 win over Grove City, with a 3–0 start to the year.[13] He would finish is first season with a 23-19 record. In 2026, Klunder would return the Knights back to the NCAA tournament after winning the American Rivers Conference tournament.[14] They won two games in the NCAA regional and would finish that season with a 28-17 record; the colleges best finish in 9 years.
Head coaching record
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Dutch (American Rivers Conference) (2022–2023) | |||||||||
| 2022 | Central | 16–23 | 4–20 | 9th | |||||
| 2023 | Central | 15–24 | 8–16 | 7th | |||||
| Central: | 31–47 (.397) | 12–36 (.250) | |||||||
| Wartburg Knights (American Rivers Conference) (2024–Present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | Wartburg | 23–19 | 12–12 | 6th | A-R-C Tournament | ||||
| 2025 | Wartburg | 21–20 | 12–12 | 4th | A-R-C Tournament | ||||
| 2026 | Wartburg | 28–17 | 13–11 | 4th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| Wartburg: | 72–56 (.563) | 37–35 (.514) | |||||||
| Total: | 103–103 (.500) | ||||||||
References
- ↑ Birch, Tommy (August 1, 2015). "Class 3-A: Waverly-Shell Rock turns nail-biter into late parade". Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Murken, Ryan (July 29, 2014). "State baseball: No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock opens with win over Solon". Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Bell, Perry (August 3, 2016). "Three are put on All Star Teams". The Oskaloosa Herald. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Sesker, Craig (July 28, 2021). "Go-Hawks fall in state opener". The Courier. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Central College Sports Information Department (August 5, 2021). "Waverly's Klunder ready to lead Central baseball resurgence". The Oskaloosa Herald. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Poslosky, Tyler (September 13, 2021). "BJ Hermsen is new Waverly-Shell Rock baseball coach". The Gazette. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Flaherty, Joe (March 9, 2022). "Dutch open baseball season by rallying for victory". Oskaloosa Herald.
- ↑ "2022 Baseball Schedule". Central College Athletics.
- ↑ "2023 Baseball Schedule". Central College Athletics.
- ↑ "Klunder leaving Central baseball post". athletics.central.edu. Central College Athletics. May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Coleman, Rick (May 17, 2023). "Casey Klunder to become Wartburg College Head Baseball Coach". KWWL. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Woods, Ben (May 18, 2023). "Casey Klunder named head baseball coach". go-knights.net. Wartburg Athletics. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ↑ Woods, Ben (February 25, 2024). "Baseball Opens 2024 Season With 12-4 Win". go-knights.net. Wartburg Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
- ↑ Johnson, Jeff (May 10, 2026). "Behind Emerson Alberhasky's heroics, Wartburg wins ARC title". The Gazette. Retrieved May 19, 2026.