RIPON, Wis. — Ripon College Athletics announced today the hiring of Sal Bando Jr. as the College's next head baseball coach. Bando brings more than two decades of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels, along with 15 years as a head coach at Marquette University High School (MUHS), to the Red Hawk program.
"Returning Ripon College to our championship standard is exactly why I wanted this job," Bando said. "I love college baseball, and I'm beyond excited to lead a program with such high standards and such a storied history."
"Ripon College baseball has a proud and storied tradition, and our responsibility is not simply to honor that history, but to build upon it," said Rich Warren, Ripon College Vice President and Director of Athletics. "Coach Bando understands the standard associated with leading this historic program. He is a proven winner, a relationship-driven leader and a respected teacher of the game who will invest in our student-athletes as people, students and competitors. Sal brings the experience, credibility and vision to position Ripon baseball to compete for championships, and we are excited to welcome him and his family to the Red Hawk community."
A LIFELONG BASEBALL PLAYER
A Wisconsin native and son of Sal Bando, former professional baseball player and Milwaukee Brewers general manager, Bando began his college playing career at the University of Arizona before transferring to Oklahoma State University, where he was the starting first baseman on the 1993 team that advanced to the College World Series. He was signed as a free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals organization and played in the Cardinals' minor league system before transitioning into coaching.
After his playing career, Bando served as the head coach at NCAA Division II University of Wisconsin-Parkside, a role he held for four years. "That's when I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, coach the game I love and lead young men," Bando said of his time at Parkside.
Bando then moved to High Point University, his first experience coaching at the Division I level, where he spent seven seasons. In 2011, Bando returned home to be closer to family, taking over as head coach at his alma mater, Marquette University High School. Over 15 seasons at MUHS, Bando built one of the state's most respected high school programs before stepping away from the role. Driven by a desire to coach year round, he also served as a core coach and Director of Hitting at Prospect Training Academy, a developmental academy for kids 9-17 years old.
With his youngest child recently leaving for college, Bando began planning his return to the college ranks. "My plan was always to get back into the college game once my youngest went off to school," he said. "The timing couldn't be more perfect."
A VOICE FROM THE BIG LEAGUES
Pat Murphy, Manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and friend of Bando, offered these words, "He will be on a mission to impact people's lives. He understands coaching and the role it has in these young people's journey." With those words as a fitting introduction, Bando now inherits a program with a legacy of its own to uphold.
CONTINUING A STORIED TRADITION
Ripon College baseball's rich tradition was built in large part by the late Gordie Gillespie, one of the winningest coaches in college baseball history, whose decades of leadership shaped generations of Red Hawk student-athletes. Bando says he is committed to building on that standard of excellence.
Coach Bando will start on Monday, August 24.
Off the field, Bando has two adult daughters and is a self-described big music fan. Bando jokes that baseball isn't just his career, it's also his hobby.
