FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
PHILADELPHIA – Ryan Wheeler, who has 15 years of Division I coaching experience including the last five as an assistant at Richmond, has been named the head baseball coach at Temple University, announced TU’s Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring on board a high-caliber person such as Ryan Wheeler to take over the reins of the Temple Baseball program,” Bradshaw said. “Ryan is one of the most respected assistant coaches in the East, and has the skill set and passion to take our program to new heights.”
“I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to coach the Temple Owls,” Wheeler said. “Temple has a rich tradition of success on the diamond, and I am looking forward to the challenge of restoring the Owls as one of the top teams in the Northeast.”
Wheeler, who directed the Spiders’ recruiting efforts while focusing on instruction for both the hitters and infielders, joined the Richmond coaching staff for the 2007 season, after serving one year as an assistant at Penn. He had previously served a nine-year stint as an assistant at the College of William & Mary.
Richmond posted a 29-27-2 record in 2011, advancing to the Atlantic 10 Conference championship game. It marked the most wins by the program since the Spiders posted 32 victories in 2007, his first season on the staff.
While at William & Mary, Wheeler helped the Tribe set several school records during his tenure, including a ranking of No. 10 nationally in team hitting and 14th in the country in runs scored per game in 2004.
Wheeler helped guide the 2001 William & Mary squad to a then-school record 35 wins en route to its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship and berth in the NCAA Regionals.
He has mentored a total of 15 players taken in the Major League Baseball Draft, including Joe Mahoney (Baltimore, 2007) Brendan Harris (Chicago Cubs, 2001), Chris Ray (Baltimore, 2003), Chris Shaver (Chicago Cubs, 2004) and Bill Bray (Montreal, 2004).
Wheeler has also helped several student-athletes attain All-America and Freshman All-America honors, including Michael Brown (2003), Chris Rahl (2004), Forest Cory (2003) and Greg Sexton (2004).
A graduate of Penn State, Wheeler was a 31st-round draft pick of the California Angels in 1994. Wheeler and his wife, Nora, have three children: Jack, Kevin and Kate.
