Rob Bishop, who has led college baseball teams to more than 500 victories, will return to South Dakota State University as head baseball coach, Director of Athletics Justin Sell announced Monday.
“Rob epitomizes what it means to be a Jackrabbit as his work ethic, his ability to create relationships and his track record of building successful programs stood out in the hiring and interview process,” Sell said. “He has a clear vision for our baseball program that aligns with our ideals of recruiting quality student-athletes.”
Overall, Bishop holds a 549-322-1 record (.630 winning percentage) as a collegiate head coach. He spent the last six years at NCAA Division II member Montana State University-Billings, where he led the Yellowjackets to back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season titles in 2015 and 2016, attaining the program’s first-ever 30-win season with a 30-20 record this past spring.
His squads also were honored as the top academic team in the GNAC each of the past three seasons.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to be the next head coach of the SDSU baseball program.” Bishop said. “I started my college coaching career with the Jacks as a graduate assistant and have followed the program closely since that time. My family and I are excited to become part of the Brookings community.
Bishop, who will begin his duties later this month, announced he will retain current assistant coach Brian Grunzke on the Jackrabbit staff. The remainder of his coaching staff will be determined at a later date.
Previously, Bishop spent 10 years at Miles City Community College in Montana, where his teams won MonDak conference championships every year. His squads also claimed five consecutive junior college region titles and a Northwest District championship in 2007 to advance to the NJCAA Division II College World Series. He also served as athletic director the last five years of his tenure at Miles City.
Bishop served as a graduate assistant at SDSU under head coach Mark Ekeland during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In his first season as a head coach, Bishop led Huron University to the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference title in 2000.
A 1994 graduate of Jamestown College (N.D.), Bishop earned NAIA All-America honors during the 1992 and 1994 seasons as an infielder.
Bishop replaces Dave Schrage, who resigned in July to become head coach at Butler University (Ind.).
