Central College Athletics - Baseball

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Coaching staff

Adam Stevens
Head coach
Iowa Conference Coach of the Year--2005, 2012
D3baseball.com All-Central Region Coach of the Year--2012
IHSBCA College Coach of the Year--2012

Adam Stevens has turned the Central College baseball program into a consistent contender.

In 2012, Stevens piloted the Dutch to their first outright Iowa Conference championship in 64 years, winning by a four-game margin and racking up a school-record 29 victories. His squads have averaged nearly 22 wins in nine seasons, the most successful run in the program's history.

Stevens was named the 2012 conference coach of the year and the D3baseball.com Central Region coach of the year. He also received college coach of the year recognition from the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association. Stevens guided Central to a share of the crown in 2006 and received league co-coach of the year distinction in 2005.

Inheriting a club that was 12-24 the year before his arrival, Stevens has compiled a 203-160 (.559) career mark in nine seasons. Central's 2012 squad had a school-record four first-team all-Iowa Conference selections and shattered 21 school records. The Dutch posted a 29-11 mark and the pitching staff ranked fourth in Division III with a 2.43 earned run average.

Stevens served as an assistant coach at Wabash College (Ind.) for a year, helping the squad post its first winning season in five years. Earlier he was an administrative assistant in the baseball office at Ball State University (Ind. ) where he received his master's degree in physical education/athletic administration.

A graduate of Morningside College , where he was a four-year starter, Stevens played in 110 consecutive games. He was team captain his senior year. Stevens also served as assistant coach at Sioux City West High School for two years. He and his wife, Amy, have a daughter, Summer, and a son, Andrew.

Phone: (641) 628-5396
Email: stevensa@central.edu

Mike Furlong
Assistant coach

Former Central College standout Mike Furlong is in his first season as assistant baseball coach.

Furlong, a 2012 Central grad, was a two-sport standout in baseball and football. He was a four-time baseball letterwinner and four-time all-Iowa Conference honoree, receiving first-team recognition three times. Furlong was also a third-team ABCA/Rawlings all-region selection and team MVP. As a senior, Furlong helped the Dutch capture their first outright conference title in 64 years. Furlong holds 12 school records, including career marks for hits (226), games started (159), runs scored (174), stolen bases (55) and assists (439).

A Davenport, Iowa native, Furlong was also a four-year letterwinner and two-time all-Iowa Conference wide receiver and return specialist for the Dutch football team. Furlong’s 1,180 career kick return yards rank third on Central’s all-time list. He’s also fourth in career kick returns (51) and sixth in average kick return yards (23.1) and punt returns (53).

Furlong is also in his first season as an assistant football coach at Central.

Jordan Stauber
Assistant coach

Former St. Norbert College (Wis.) assistant Jordan Stauber is in his third season on the Central College baseball staff.

Stauber works with the Dutch pitching staff. In 2012, Central set school season records for victories (29), lowest earned run average (2.43), shutouts (6) and lowest strikeout/at bats ratio (0.137). Three pitchers were named to all-region teams.

At St. Norbert Stauber served as team captain, helping lead the club to Midwest Conference North Division titles in 2007 and 2008.

He spent a year as assistant coach at Lawrence Univ. (Wis.), serving as baserunning coach. During his tenure, Lawrence set school records for stolen bases in a game (13) and season (99). Stauber then returned to St. Norbert for a year as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, helping guide the club to another North Division title and a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
           
From 2009-11 Stauber also served as assistant manager of the Green Bay Bullfrogs in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer league. The Bullfrogs have compiled a 98-77 record during that stretch.

Phone: (641) 628-5397
Email: stauberj@central.edu

Todd Zylstra
Assistant coach

Former high school coach Todd Zylstra is in his fourth season as a volunteer assistant baseball coach at Central College.

Zylstra works with Central’s junior varsity squad. A 1990 Dordt College graduate, Zylstra piloted Pella Christian to the Class 2A state high school baseball championship in 1994 during a two-year stint as head coach, following a season as an assistant. He returned as an assistant coach in 2007-08.

Zylstra earlier was head baseball coach at Ontario (Calif.) Christian High School in 1992 after a year as an assistant, and was head coach at Denver (Colo.) Christian High School in 1998, leading the team to the Metro League Conference title. He served as pitching coach at Denver Christian in 1996-97 and 2000, helping the club win the Class 3A state crown in 1996.

A former teacher and school administrator, Zylstra has served as a pastor to teens and young adults at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Pella since 2002. He is pursuing a Master of Biblical Studies degree from Birmingham (Ala.) Theological Seminary.