Baseball Names Chris Krepline as Pitching Coach
7/9/2026 11:17:00 AM | Baseball
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri hired Chris Krepline as its baseball pitching coach Wednesday.
Krepline joins the Redhawks after serving as director of pitching development at the University of Cincinnati for the past two seasons.
"We are very excited to welcome Chris, his wife Bri, and their family to Cape Girardeau. We were very intentional throughout this process and wanted to make sure we added someone who not only fits our existing culture but could also help move our program forward," said head coach Andy Sawyers. "Chris has a long history of winning, from his time as a Division III head coach to his most recent role as director of pitching development at Cincinnati. Just as importantly, he has a proven track record of building strong relationships with his players and helping them develop. We couldn't be happier with how this process turned out and are excited to welcome Chris to SEMO Baseball."
During his second season at Cincinnati, the Bearcats pitching staff set a school record with 546 strikeouts, surpassing the previous mark of 496 set in 2025. The staff was led by Nick Taylor, who earned All-America honors and collected his third all-conference selection. Taylor set program career records with 22 wins and 276 strikeouts while also establishing a new single-season strikeout record with 115 in 2026. Taylor and catcher Jack Natili are both considered prospects for the upcoming MLB Draft.
In his two seasons with the Bearcats, Cincinnati eclipsed 30 wins each year. Krepline helped develop five all-conference, three all-region and three All-America selections who entered the program as high school recruits. He also coordinated a baserunning system that helped Cincinnati rank first nationally in stolen-base percentage and among the top three teams in stolen bases.
Before joining Cincinnati, Krepline served as head coach at Lawrence University from 2019-24. During his tenure, he earned Midwest Conference Coach of the Year honors twice and guided the Vikings to conference championships in 2022 and 2024. He also developed six All-Americans along with numerous all-region and all-conference performers.
Krepline previously served as an assistant coach at Lawrence from 2013-14 before joining St. Norbert College as an assistant coach from 2015-18. During his time at St. Norbert, he coached six All-Midwest Conference pitchers and four all-region selections. The Green Knights won three Midwest Conference North Division titles, a Midwest Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament.
A 2009 graduate of Carthage College, Krepline earned a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science. He later received a master's degree in applied exercise science from Concordia University Chicago in 2015.
Krepline and his wife, Bri, have two sons, Boe and Crewe, and two daughters, Sadie and Sutton.
