EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern head baseball coach Spencer Allen has decided he will not return next season. Associate head coach Josh Reynolds has been elevated to interim head coach, interim Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Robert Gundlach announced Monday.
“Over the last six seasons, we have worked tirelessly to elevate Northwestern Baseball,” said Allen. “I am grateful to the coaches, staff and Wildcats fans, but especially the many, many student-athletes who have chosen to invest in our program. We have put this team on a positive trajectory, and I am excited for the future with Josh at the helm.”
Under Allen’s tutelage, six different Wildcats earned All-Big Ten honors, most recently headlined by Anthony Calarco and Shawn Goosenberg collecting First-Team selections in the 2021 season. In addition three Wildcats moved on to the professional level in 2019, with pitcher Nick Paciorek (6th round), Alex Erro (17), and Jack Dunn (20) all being selected in the MLB draft.
While working closely with Allen as an associate head coach, Reynolds has overseen Northwestern’s pitching staff and taken a lead role in the program’s recruiting efforts over the last six seasons.
“We have built a foundation for success here in Evanston that I am thrilled to carry forward,” said Reynolds. “I’m grateful to Bob Gundlach and our department leadership for their faith in me to lead this team. So many people have invested so much in this program during my time here, and it is an honor to have the opportunity to maintain that momentum and build an exceptional experience for our student-athletes now and in the future.”
In just his second season with the Wildcats in 2017, Reynolds lowered the pitching staff’s ERA by more than a run from the previous year. Led by walk-on senior Cooper Wetherbee and All-Big Ten Freshman team honoree Hank Christie, Reynolds’ pitchers proved to be effective when it mattered most that season, as Northwestern made its first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2010 and ultimately secured a spot in the Big Ten Tournament championship game for the first time in 33 years.
Reynolds came to Northwestern after serving as an assistant coach at Kansas State from 2011-2015. During his time at Kansas State, he helped those Wildcats reach the NCAA Tournament twice in five years, while also winning the 2013 Big 12 championship.
As a player, Reynolds pitched for a Division II powerhouse, Central Missouri, from 1998-2000. He set the UCM record for career wins with 34 in three seasons, while helping Mules to Division II College World Series appearances in 1998 and 2000. Reynolds was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) freshman of the year in 1998, as well as the conference’s most valuable player and an All-America first-team honoree in 2000. He was inducted into the UCM Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Following his junior season in 2000, Reynolds was selected in the third round of the MLB Draft by the New York Mets. He also spent time in the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres organizations before transitioning to a coaching career in 2004. Along with his wife, Ashleigh, he has one daughter, Azlynn, and a son, Jax.
