Head Coach Chris Rateike

Rateike enters his 15th season as the head coach of the Rebels' baseball program. His first season at the helm found him one game away from making the NJCAA World Series. In his time here, he has sent numerous players on to Division I, Division II, and NAIA Universities and a few trips to the post-season.

Rateike's previous coaching experience includes stops at schools such as: Northeastern Junior College, Frank Phillips College, Indian Hills Community College, Arkansas Tech University, and the USA Baseball Athletic Development Program. His coaching tenure has seen him recruit and develop 96 players who have signed professional contracts including four AAA players and five Major League Players. In the 2016 Major League draft, four former Rebels were taken in by the Giants, Royals, Braves, and the Red sox.  He also has had the honor of coaching four players who went on to play professionally and were given the opportunity to play in the World Baseball Classic.

Rateike's collegiate playing experience began at Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, Iowa. In his two years with the Falcons, the baseball team won two conference titles, two sub-regional titles, a regional title, and a fifth-place finish in the 1992 NJCAA World Series. After that, Rateike transferred to Arkansas Tech University where he finished his college career. He earned his way into the record books with records such as: appearances in a season (1st), career appearances (4th), single-season ERA (4th), and career ERA (5th).

After receiving his bachelor's degree and completing his collegiate playing career, Rateike earned his Master of Science degree in health, physical education, and recreation at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kan.

He and his wife, Angie, have been married for 20 years. Their son Ryan played baseball at Hill College and then Odessa College before transferring to Missouri Baptist in St. Louis, Mo.  He had the opportunity to play in the NAIA World Series in 2013.  He is currently an assistant coach at the University of Maine.

Contact

Phone: 254.659.7961

E-mail: crateike@hillcollege.edu

Assistant Coach Travis Spinney

Travis Spinney enters his second season with Coach Rateike and the Rebels as the Assistant Coach working with the outfielders and hitters. He graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor's in Business Administration.

Spinney comes to Hill College from Lewisville, Texas, where he attended Lewisville High School as a Senior All-District player. Spinney began his coaching career at Murray State College in the 2019 season as he worked with the hitters and outfielders, along with helping to lead the strength and conditioning program.

Spinney’s collegiate baseball career started at Northern Oklahoma Tonkawa where he hit .347 as a freshman and was named to the Region II NJCAA All-Tournament Team. Spinney had a breakout season in his sophomore year hitting .403, leading his team to a school-record of 46 wins, and once again being named to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team. Spinney then went on to play his Junior and Senior seasons at Southeastern Oklahoma State where he played his senior season under former Murray State Head Coach Zach Crabtree.  Spinney hit .343 his senior season leading the conference with 18 doubles and was successful in 18 of 19 stolen base attempts.  In his final season at SE, Spinney was named as a member of the All-Conference team for the Great American Conference.  Spinney's 4-year collegiate career resulted in an overall .347 average with 213 hits.

Assistant Coach Wilson Earhart