Head Coach Chris Rateike

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Rateike enters his twelfth 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 91 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 16 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.

Contact

Phone: 254.659.7961

E-mail: crateike@hillcollege.edu

Assistant Coach Phillip Berndsen

Phillip Berndsen
Berndsen enters his first season as an assistant under Head Coach Chris Rateike. For the past two seasons, he has been an assistant at North Central Texas College where he helped the program make its first region tournament appearance in six years in 2019. Before NCTC, Berndsen was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill. Between coaching at the high school and college levels, Berndsen seen three of his players enter professional baseball, and another 24 players develop into Division I student-athletes. Berndsen is originally from Breese, Ill. and graduated with his bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from Lindenwood University, and his master’s degree in Higher Education from Walden University. He is married to his wife Jordan, and they have two children Crue (4) and Blakely (5 months).

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