Joey Baldwin has been named the next head coach of the Omaha Mavericks men's golf team announced today by Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics, Adrian Dowell.
"We are excited to welcome Coach Baldwin and his family to UNO and back to Omaha. Joey is very familiar with the Nebraska golf community and has successful collegiate head coaching experience from his time at Arkansas Tech and Wayne State," Dowell said. "We look forward to seeing his impact on the program and the continued development of our men's golfers on and off the course under his guidance."
Baldwin joins the Mavericks from Arkansas Tech University where he served as the head men's and women's golf coach.
Last season with ATU, Baldwin oversaw Ellen Spigner to a T12 finish at the NCAA Regional where she shot 73-76-74. Under the direction of Baldwin, Spigner also captured Women's Golf Coaches Association All-Region and 2nd Team All-Conference honors in the Great American Conference. Baldwin also helped Josie Roberson to an Honorable Mention GAC All-Conference accolade.
On the men's side, the program placed 4th in the GAC conference tournament last year. Shaun Jones finished T3 in the postseason tournament and was named to the GAC All-Tournament team. Baldwin played a significant role in helping Jackson Cole earn Honorable Mention All-Conference for the 2022 campaign. Cole was also an individual medalist at the Newman Invite. With Baldwin leading both programs, the women's team finished 2022 with a GPA of 3.41 and the men posted a 3.51 GPA.
A 2002 graduate of Wayne State College, he returned to his alma mater in 2019 to lead the Wildcats women's golf team. Baldwin was tasked with the revitalization of women's program at Wayne State in 2019 after it was suspended in the spring of 2013. He was also in the process of bringing back the suspended men's golf program for the 2023-24 athletic year.
In his second year at the helm of the women's program, Baldwin led the Wildcats to a significant jump in their on-course success as his team finished runner-up at the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Women's Golf Championship. The year prior, Wayne State placed ninth at the NSIC Championship. Fueling the marked improvement for Wayne State in 2022 was sophomore Abbey Kurmel, who took home individual medalist honors. It was just the second time in program history that a Wildcat golfer won the NSIC Tournament and the first time since 1998.
"I am extremely excited to join the Omaha family! UNO has a strong tradition of excellence in their athletic programs and academics." Baldwin said. "This is a phenomenal opportunity for me and my family to come back to my hometown and I can't wait to get started. I want to thank Athletic Director Adrian Dowell and Dani Brooke for putting their trust in me to lead the men's golf program."
At Wayne State, he earned a degree in criminal justice and worked as a police officer in Kansas City, Missouri from 2003-09 before moving back to Wayne where he became a private golf instructor and business owner.
As a private golf instructor, Baldwin helped teach proper swing techniques, fundamentals in the short game and course management skill including course strategies and course etiquette.
In terms of his own golf game, Baldwin's amateur golf highlights include being an eight-time club champion at the Wayne Country Club which included five straight titles, 2018 Wayne Open champion, two Nebraska Interclub championships, third place in the 2016 Nebraska State Mid-Amateur and seventh place in the 2014 Nebraska State Amateur.
