Ryan Whiteley, head baseball coach at Carl Albert (OK) High School is the 2026 ABCA/ATEC High School Div. II Coach of the Year. Whiteley has built his career around developing players, building relationships, and creating a culture where winning becomes a byproduct of doing things the right way.

In 2026, Whiteley led Carl Albert to the Oklahoma Class 5A State Championship, adding another championship chapter to one of the state’s premier high school baseball programs. This was the Titans 4th State Championship since 2021.

A Lawton, Oklahoma, native and Lawton Eisenhower graduate, Whiteley played his college baseball at Hutchinson Community College before finishing his playing career at Cameron University. Whiteley then began his coaching career in his hometown before taking his first head-coaching position at Cache High School.

In 2017, Whtieley arrived at Carl Albert as an assistant baseball and football coach. He spent four years learning under longtime Titans head coach Tim LaValley, along with fellow assistant Tony Borum, before taking over the program.

Today, we’re going to talk about that journey—the lessons he’s learned along the way, what makes the Carl Albert baseball and football culture so special, developing young athletes and building a championship program.

This episode is brought to you by Rapsodo Baseball. Great coaching starts with knowing what to work on next. Rapsodo gives coaches the objective data, video, and instant feedback they need to make every rep more purposeful.

With 20+ hitting and pitching data points, Live-on-Live capabilities, Seam Orientation, Scripted Sessions, and more, Rapsodo’s PRO 2.0 and PRO 3.0 units help coaches dial in on player development for their athletes with pro-level data and ball-tracking technology.

From establishing baselines to validating adjustments and tracking progress, Rapsodo takes the guesswork out of development.

Measure what matters. Train with purpose.

Learn more by emailing sales@rapsodo.com or visit their website: Rapsodo.com/Baseball.

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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We’re joined on the ABCA Podcast by Tennessee Wesleyan head baseball coach Billy Berry, 2026 ABCA/ATEC NAIA Coach of the Year following a championship season that added another chapter to the Bulldogs’ storied tradition.

Berry led Tennessee Wesleyan to a 49-15 record and a 6-1 run at the 69th Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, where the Bulldogs capped off the season with a dominant 21-3 victory over No. 1 seed Taylor University. That victory delivered Tennessee Wesleyan its third NAIA National Championship and set a World Series championship-game record for largest margin of victory.

And the numbers behind this team were just as impressive. The Bulldogs led the NAIA with 735 hits and 170 doubles, ranked fifth nationally with a .349 team batting average, and finished fourth in the country with 538 RBIs. On the mound, Tennessee Wesleyan posted a 4.40 team ERA, led by Justin Jackson, who won 13 games, posted a 2.82 ERA, and led the nation with 108.1 innings pitched.

Over nearly two decades leading the Bulldogs, Berry has built Tennessee Wesleyan into one of the premier programs in NAIA baseball. He enters this season with more than 900 career victories at Tennessee Wesleyan, multiple national championships, numerous conference championships, and a résumé that includes previous ABCA/NAIA Coach of the Year honors in 2012 and 2019.

Today, we’ll talk about that incredible 2026 championship run, what makes Tennessee Wesleyan baseball so successful year after year, the evolution of recruiting and player development, the lessons that come from nearly two decades in the dugout, and what it takes to build a program that can sustain excellence across generations of players.

This episode is brought to you by Rapsodo Baseball. Great coaching starts with knowing what to work on next. Rapsodo gives coaches the objective data, video, and instant feedback they need to make every rep more purposeful. With 20+ hitting and pitching data points, Live-on-Live capabilities, Seam Orientation, Scripted Sessions, and more, Rapsodo’s PRO 2.0 and PRO 3.0 units help coaches dial in on player development for their athletes with pro-level data and ball-tracking technology. From establishing baselines to validating adjustments and tracking progress, Rapsodo takes the guesswork out of development. Measure what matters. Train with purpose. Learn more by emailing sales@rapsodo.com or visit their website: Rapsodo.com/Baseball.

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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ABCA/Soldier Sports NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year, Justin Barber, is someone who has built his coaching career around developing pitchers and building championship-caliber pitching staffs.

Barber finished his ninth season on staff at Taylor University, where he serves as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. And over that span, his pitching staffs have consistently ranked among the best in the NAIA. This past season Barber led Taylor University to a 56-7 record, finishing ranked 2nd in the country and played in the NAIA World Series Championship game. The Trojans pitching staff had a 4.73 era and held opponents to a .253 batting average.

In 2025, Taylor put together the best regular season in program history at a 41-8 record and finished with a program-record 47 wins, climbed to No. 9 nationally, and captured its third straight Crossroads League regular-season championship and second consecutive tournament title. Barber’s pitching staff was a huge part of that success, ranking second nationally in WHIP, third in opponents’ batting average, and fourth in both ERA and strikeouts per nine innings. The staff also produced the Crossroads League Pitcher of the Year, three first-team all-league selections, an NAIA All-American, and an MLB draft pick.

Barber’s track record goes well beyond his time at Taylor. Before arriving in Upland, he spent eight years with the Indiana Chargers, helping more than 90 players reach the collegiate level and working with four pitchers who eventually reached professional baseball, including three MLB draft picks.

Barber started his coaching career as a high school varsity head coach and also worked as a pitching and hitting instructor at Great Lakes Baseball Academy.

In this episode, we’re going to talk pitching development, recruiting, player development, and what it takes to consistently build a pitching staff that can compete at the highest levels of college baseball.

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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