BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Olivet Nazarene University Athletic Director Justin Glenn announced Wednesday the hiring of Colton Punches as the next head baseball coach, effective immediately.

Punches spent last season as the head coach at Madonna University, an NAIA institution located in Livonia, Mich. There he led the Crusaders to a 17-13 league record in the highly competitive Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) and took the team to the WHAC Tournament championship game.

"I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach at Olivet and work alongside great people to provide a first-class experience for our student-athletes, " said Punches. "I am looking forward to getting to know each person on the team and hitting the ground running in the fall."

In his single season at the helm, Punches coached three Crusaders to all-WHAC honors, including first-team outfielder Anthony Sharkas, and had 12 student-athletes earn WHAC Academic All-Conference selections for their work in the classroom.

"I am thrilled to introduce Colton Punches as the next head baseball coach at Olivet," said Glenn. "Throughout the search process, we were impressed with Colton's character, work ethic, and vision for the program. He brings great experience at the highest levels of NAIA baseball to ONU, so we are excited to see the program be elevated to new heights under the leadership of Coach Punches."

Prior to Madonna, Punches spent three seasons (2021-2023) at NAIA powerhouse MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., serving as the team's recruiting coordinator and pitching coach before making the jump to associate head coach in 2023. In those three seasons, the Pioneers amassed a 116-63 overall record and made it to the NAIA National Tournament every year, including back-to-back trips to the World Series in 2022 and 2023.

During his time at MidAmerica Nazarene, Punches coached two professional signee pitchers, two All-American pitchers, seven all-conference pitchers, and coached the pitching staff to strikeout records in three consecutive seasons. Under Punches' tutelage, the Pioneers set multiple career and single-season records in wins, strikeouts, and saves.

A 2018 graduate of Huntington University, Punches was part of the 2017 Foresters team that won the Crossroads League's regular-season and tournament titles as a member of the team's pitching staff. That team boasted a 35-13 overall record and earned a spot in the NAIA National Tournament.

Punches earned his bachelor's degree in Sports Management before obtaining his master's degree in Leadership and Innovation from Wisconsin Lutheran College.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu