Ty Reese named 7th head coach in Butler Baseball history

EL DORADO, Kan. – A new era is underway for the Butler Community College baseball program.

Athletics director Todd Carter announced on Wednesday that 15-year Grizzly coaching veteran and former Butler student-athlete Ty Reese will take the reins of the Butler baseball program. This comes after former head coach BJ McVay announced his retirement after 13 seasons as the skipper on Aug. 22.

"I would like to thank Todd Carter and Butler Community College for allowing me to continue my career with the Grizzlies as the next head baseball coach," said Reese. "Over the last 15 years with Butler I have had the opportunity to learn from some of the best such as Steve Johnson and BJ McVay. I would like to thank each of them for the knowledge they have shared with me. I am excited to work with Taylor Sanagorski and Austin Bonnel going forward to continue the tradition of Butler Baseball. My family and I are proud to represent Butler Community College, and to be part of a community that has shown us overwhelming support throughout this process! Go Grizz!"

Reese has spent the last 15 seasons as an assistant coach at Butler serving mainly as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He is the first head baseball coach at Butler to have also played for the program as he was a two-time All-KJCCC pitcher for the Grizzlies, posting an 8-4 record on the mound in 2005. Reese has been a part of three KJCCC titles at Butler. He won it in 2005 as a player and again as a coach in 2010 and 2019.

"I am excited to see one of our own in Ty Reese take over the Butler Baseball program," said Carter. "Ty is a great person and I believe he will do tremendous things with this program. I am extremely happy for him and his family and I know he will take great pride in how this program represents itself."

Reese's pitching staff had an excellent year in 2023. The staff held a 5.76 ERA and struck out 473 compared to allowing just 252 walks. The top two pitchers in terms of innings pitched were Izack Tiger and Caden Kickhaefer. Tiger went on to be drafted in the 2023 MLB Draft with the 201st overall pick in the seventh round by the Texas Rangers and Kickhaefer was named as a Rawlings & American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove award winner. Tiger was a Region VI All-Region First team honoree and Kickhaefer won the Region VI Gold Glove award while both student-athletes received All-KJCCC honors.

Butler advanced past the first round of the Region VI playoffs for the fourth consecutive season in 2023. It was also the programs fifth consecutive season winning at least 35 overall games and 20 KJCCC games.

Reese and the rest of the Butler staff helped the Grizzlies to the Region VI Final Four in 2021, where the Grizzlies finished as region runners-up. That year the squad posted a 37-16 overall record to go with 20-12 in the KJCCC. Reese had a pair of pitchers earn All-KJCCC honors that season. Starting pitcher Braden Meek was named second team All-KJCCC after becoming the Grizzlies most consistent starter throughout the season. Meek finished the season with a 7-3 record, 5.71 ERA and 58 strikeouts to 16 walks. He had 12 starts and 64.2 innings pitched on the year. Meek pitched a no hitter this season against Labette and had two shutouts on the year. Relief pitcher Zach Nagel was also named second team All-KJCCC. He was the Grizzlies closer, appearing in 21 gamed and finishing with seven saves. He pitched a total of 28.0 innings with an ERA of 3.86.

2019 was a big season for Butler as the Grizzlies won a share of the KJCCC West, their first conference championship since the 2010 season. Reese's pitching staff that year posted a 4.78 ERA with each of the top three pitchers in innings pitched holding an under 4.50 ERA. That year relief pitcher Bennett Scherer tossed 38.1 innings, striking out 33 and walking just 13 while posting a 4.46 ERA. Starting pitcher Zach Bravo finished with 97 strikeouts to 33 walks, a 10.91 strikeout per nine innings clip. Starting pitcher Dillan Janak struck out 46 to 18 walks. Scherer was named to the first team All-KJCCC team, Bravo to the second and Janak was named as an honorable mention with reese helping mentor all three.

In the 2018 season Reese helped LHP Drake Norton to first team All-KJCCC honors as he finished with a 10-2 record, 3.69 ERA and finished with 59 strikeouts. He finished second in the Jayhawk Conference in wins and was fourth in earned run average.

One of Reese's former pitchers, Kyle Kinman, was selected in the 25th round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Kinman played at Butler from 2010-11 and in 2010 he went 8-2 with a 2.22 ERA and struck out 65 batters in 81 innings. He was named the KJCCC Freshman of the Year.

Plenty of pitching records at Butler have been set with Reese as the pitching coach. A career team pitching record that was set under Reese's watch is team strikeouts in 2022 with 499. The 2023 team sits second all-time with 473. The 2013 staff sits fourth all-time in Butler history allowing the fourth fewest walks with 145. As far as single season individual records at Butler during Reese's tenure, Tiger is first all-time in wins with 21, strikeouts with 243 and innings pitched with 192. Meek is tied-first in single season pitching wins with 12 in 2021. Four of the top five single season strikeout leaders came under Reese's watch in Tiger (121 in 2023 and 94 in 2022), Hyde (98 in 2022) and Bravo (97 in 2019). Trevor Ezell is second all-time in single season saves with 15 in 2014.

After playing at Butler, Reese transferred to Emporia State University where he was a member of the 2006 World Series team. ESU qualified for the NCAA Division II regionals all three years that Reese played with the Hornets.

Reese was the assistant coach on the summer collegiate team, the El Dorado Broncos, helping guide the team to the Jayhawk League and went on to win the NBC World Series in 2009.  Before coming to Butler, he coached the Emporia High School Legion baseball team. 

Originally from McPherson, Kan., Reese now lives in El Dorado with his wife, Audrey and children, Charlee and Bonnie.