Sept. 28, 2012
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator Ryan Brownlee has accepted the head coaching position at Western Illinois University. Brownlee has been on the Hawkeye staff the last nine seasons, helping Iowa to 213 wins and three top-four Big Ten finishes.
“I am extremely excited for Ryan,” said UI head coach Jack Dahm. “He is very deserving of this opportunity to become a head coach. Western Illinois hit a home run with the hiring. He is dynamic in every phase of the game, and the alumni will love him.
“It’s going to be a big loss for us, but our program is so much better off today because of what he has done for us over the last nine and a half years. I can’t say enough about him and his family. We’re going to miss him, but he’s going to take Western Illinois to a different level. He’s always going to be a part of the Hawkeye family.”
During his time in Iowa City, Brownlee coached 27 players to All-Big Ten recognition. Two Hawkeyes — Kurtis Muller and Justin Toole — were PING All-Americans.
Brownlee’s best year came in 2010, when the Hawkeyes closed out the season with 11 wins in 14 contests to finish 30-28 overall. Iowa finished third in the Big Ten and was the runner-up at the 2010 Big Ten Tournament, which tied the highest finish in school history.