CINCINNATI — University of Cincinnati baseball coach Jordan Bischel exuded a great deal of energy in his introductory press conference Wednesday afternoon.
He vowed that passion for the game will transfer over to the student-athletes and coaching staff next season on the diamond, too.
"It's an incredible honor," Bischel said. "It's humbling. It just really hits. What an amazing opportunity to be the baseball coach here at the University of Cincinnati."
It didn't take long for Bischel to emphasize his personality to the players and supporters of the UC program, just a few days after he was named the Bearcats coach.
"It's everything," Bischel said. "You can control in my opinion your success physically with your attitude in a lot of ways. You know 18- to 22-year-old males sometimes may take themselves a little too seriously and maybe try to be a little bit too tough. And I think that can get in your way a little bit. When you just free yourself up to enjoy the moment and compete and be a part of it I think it's game-changing."
The Green Bay, Wisconsin native (and long-time Packers fan) arrives at UC from Central Michigan, where he served as head coach for five seasons.
Overall, he has a 314-156 record as an NCAA coach, including nine winning seasons and eight conference championships (four at Central Michigan, four at Division II Northwood University).
"I think what stood out is that every level he went to he found a way to win quickly," said John Cunningham, UC's director of athletics. "His teams love to play for him. He talked about me making calls to a lot of different people. And I certainly did that. And I talked to a lot of different people about him and specifically people that knew him and played for him and had children that played for him. One of the things that kept coming was that they loved the game when they played."
Bischel led Central Michigan to three NCAA regional appearances. He also had three consecutive 40-win seasons and his teams won four Mid-American Conference titles. He takes over a UC program that had a 24-33 record this season. Bischel said he's ready for a new chapter for the Bearcats.
Bischel's resume and his ability to connect with student-athletes spoke volumes throughout the interview process.
"He is a man of character, drive and competitiveness," Cunningham said. "I cannot wait for Coach Bischel and his staff to get to work on establishing an impenetrable winning culture for Bearcats baseball."
Bischel had a 102-32 MAC record at Central Michigan. His teams won a combined 132 games in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Prep Baseball Report Michigan scouting director Adam Goodwin said Bischel is prepared for this opportunity.
"He's an extremely sharp baseball mind," said Prep Baseball Report Michigan scouting director Adam Goodwin. "I think he's going to have a lot of success."
Bischel said he can't wait to lead the UC baseball program as its enters the Big 12 Conference starting July 1.
"It's a baseball city," said Bischel. "It's a talent-rich area. It's an athletic department, to me, that's very committed to being successful in baseball. It seems like there is a fan base that wants to get behind it. The campus is beautiful. The city is outstanding. So already you've got a lot of very, very attractive things. And now we're going to go jump in one of the best three conferences in the country in baseball."
