Head Coach Mike Gardner sets Career Wins Mark
AUSTIN, Texas – The Concordia University Texas baseball team picked up a 4-2 win over Southwestern University today to improve to 16-15 on the season. Tornados head coach Mike Gardner picked up his 235th career win at CTX to become the all-time wins leader in school history. Before the game Gardner was tied with former Tornados head coach Jack Faszholz (1979-1990) for the most career wins. He also reaches the career feat faster, doing so in only ten seasons.
Coach Gardner had this to say about his win, “I didn’t come to Concordia to get any awards. I just came to continue the legacy that Coach Jack Faszholz along with Coach James Keller created although; it is an honor for me to be recognized with the likes of Jack Faszholz and James Keller. The program was good before me and will continue to be successful in the future. You don’t win any games without good players, along with strong support from parent and administration and I have been blessed with both.”
“This is great recognition for a very unassuming coach. Coach Gardner, all of the players and coaches that have been a part of this program over the past ten seasons should take pride in this accomplishment and celebrate with him.”Concordia Athletic Director Dan Huntley
Coach Gardner led the team to the NCAA Division III World Series in 2002 after a 35-13 season record becoming the only Division III University from the state of Texas to compete in the Division III World Series. Concordia University Texas, formerly Concordia-Austin won the American Southwest Conference Tournament which qualified them for the NCAA Regional where they went on to win the NCAA West Regional over Pomona-Pitzer and Trinity University sending them to the NCAA World Series also marking the first ASC baseball participant.
Under the helm of Gardner the Tornados have participated in the American Southwest Conference Championship series five times.
Athletic Director Huntley, “The baseball program at Concordia has become the program in our department that all others are measured against. The campus, local community and I praise Coach Gardner for his dedication and work with the young men he has coached so successfully. Before Mike arrived on this campus, he had always been around winning programs, so it has been no surprise our team has seen the level of success it has.”
Before coming to Concordia, Gardner was the assistant coach at San Jacinto Junior College and the University of Houston. He began his career as a highly lauded catcher at Sam Houston State University.
