A local coach with a state championship to his name is new head coach of the East Central College Falcons Softball team. Grant Young will be replacing Brad Wallach, who led the ECC Softball program for 15 seasons.
Coach Grant Young
Young has served as the head softball coach at Washington High School for the past two years, a role he will continue while coaching the ECC Softball Falcons. This past season, the Blue Jays finished with a remarkable 37-1-1 record, capturing the Missouri Class 4 state title without a single loss to a Missouri school.
The team was ranked third in the nation in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll and was recognized as the top program in Missouri by MaxPreps.com.
Young, a 1996 graduate of Union High School, holds a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Missouri State University (2000) and an M.S. in Athletic Administration from William Woods University (2007). He and his wife, Julia, have two sons, Kaner and Ryker. Kaner will be attending ECC and playing baseball this year.
Coaching Career
In his three years as a head softball coach, including a year at Neosho High School in Missouri, Young’s teams have achieved an impressive 89-15-1 record. Over the past eight years with the Blue Jay program, serving as both varsity assistant and head coach, his teams have won six Gateway Athletic Conference titles, five district titles, four Final Four finishes, and two state championships (2021 and 2023).
Young was honored as the 2023 MHSFCA Class 4 Coach of the Year and was part of the NFCA Region 1 Zone Coaching Staff of the Year.
Young has also been a varsity basketball coach for the past 23 years, coaching both boys’ and girls’ teams. He has amassed 385 career wins, including seven MSHSAA district titles, two Final Four appearances, and a state championship in 2011 at Purdy. He was recognized as the Girls Basketball MBCA/Sportswriters 2011 Class 2 Coach of the Year.
Joseph Benninger is taking over as the full-time combined men’s and women’s head soccer coach at East Central College.
He had been serving as an assistant coach under Coach Martin Clayes, who recently took a position to coach professional soccer.
According to ECC Athletic Director Dr. Jay Mehrhoff, Benninger is ready to take the helm and lead a talented group of young men and women into the 2022 NJCAA fall campaign.
“Benninger has been instrumental in helping build the program at East Central College,” Mehrhoff said. “The women’s program has been a tough climb since the 2020 COVID season, but the roster looks ready to compete this year.
“Benninger’s hopes are to elevate the women’s program to compete for the region title in the same way he feels the men’s program is ready to compete each and every year,” Mehrhoff added.
He further added that Benninger has “a gift” when it comes to recruiting, along with a strong passion for soccer.
Benninger is a native of St. Louis and he played club and high school soccer under the rich traditions in St. Louis. He played high school soccer at De Smet Jesuit High School.
He then attended Truman State University, Kirksville, where he was a member and captain of the Bulldogs volleyball squad, during their most successful run in school history.
Along with his college experience, Benninger has coached and worked in administration in the USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), with the St. Louis Lions. He has also spent time coaching at the youth level.
Benninger has a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Truman State University.
“As the 2022 season approaches, Benninger hopes to fill an entire roster for the women’s team at ECC and build the men’s team into a contender right away,” Mehrhoff said. “Time will be of the essence as Coach Benninger works diligently to complete the 2022 schedule and get the Falcons soaring on the pitch.”
East Central College is looking for local players to tryout for the first Baseball Falcons squad that will take the field next year.
Coach Brandon Rains will check out the local talent this Saturday, Nov. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 22, to fill out the first baseball team at ECC in 20 years.
Any local high school seniors who would like to tryout contact Coach Rains via e-mail at brandonrains@eastcentral.edu.
The tryouts will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at the Union High School Baseball Field, located at 1217 W. Main St., in Union.
Players should bring a current high school physical exam, their own water, turf baseball shoes, metal cleats and all other equipment.
East Central College has hired an experienced skipper to lead the Falcons Baseball team when they take the field in the Spring 2022.
Coach Brandon Rains is ECC’s first baseball coach in 20 years. Last year, the sport was reinstated at ECC beginning the 2021-22 academic year.
Rains has been a head coach in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) since 2010 when he began managing the squad at Brookhaven College, Dallas, Texas.
Coach Rains has been a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for the 20 years. He was selected as ABCA Coach of the Year in 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019. In 2013 and 2019 he also was part of the coaching staff of the Texas New Mexico Junior College Coaches Association All-Star Game.
Rains will begin his duties at ECC by recruiting the entire squad over the next year, and preparing them to take the diamond in fall of 2021.
The ECC Athletic Department and Foundation will be raising funds to renovate the baseball field through the winter of 2020 to have the field playable in the fall of 2021.
Rains’ Background
Coach Rains took over head coaching duties at NJCAA DIII Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas, in the Fall of 2010.
During his staff’s first season, the Brookhaven Bears cracked the top 10 in the NJCAA polls for the first time in school history coming in at No. 9. Over the next nine seasons, Brookhaven remained in the NJCAA top 10 polls every year with the exception of one.
The Bears were ranked 3rd in the nation to start the 2020 season. During Coach Rains’ 10 seasons at Brookhaven College the Bears won Metro Athletic Conference (MAC) championships in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018.
Rains’ team was in the Final Four in 2013 and took third place in 2019.
The Bears set school records for wins in 2017 with 35 and topped that with 42 in 2019. Brookhaven College had seven straight 30-plus win seasons dating back to 2013.
While at Brookhaven Coach Rains recruited and coached over 60 players with all conference or other post season awards including six NJCAA All Americans.
A native of Rotan, Texas, Rains came to Brookhaven College after spending eight consecutive winning seasons as the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Coach Rains began his college baseball coaching career at the University of Saint Mary (NAIA) in Leavenworth, Kan. from 2000-2002
Coach Rains has coached summer travel teams in Italy, Amsterdam, Australia, Aruba, and the Dominican Republic.
Coach Rains has a bachelor’s degree from West Texas A&M University and attended graduate school at the University of Kansas and has a master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University.
Success in athletics starts with hard work in the classroom at the intercollegiate level. The East Central College Athletic Department has proven this to be a fact again this year as all three teams collected academic awards and winning records.
The overall athletic department grade point average was 3.16 and the school set another record winning the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference Harold Oetting Academic All Sports Award for an unprecedented seventh consecutive year. Since the 2009-10 academic year, the ECC Athletic Department has held the highest overall GPA among conference schools. Individual teams and athletes have received numerous accolades. All three teams were honored by the NJCAA as All-Academic teams with grade point averages of 3.30 for volleyball, 3.24 for softball, and 3.0 for soccer.
Twelve student athletes were also recipients of NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Awards for their exceptional classroom performances with GPAs of 3.6 or better. Kayla Borcherding and Sarah Borgerding (women’s volleyball) received the Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence for achieving a 4.0 grade point average. Chelsea Delay (women’s volleyball) and softball players Dayla Gruenloh, Eden Henry, and Karissa Hoffman earned Superior Academic Achievement Award for overall GPAs of 3.80-3.99. Taylor Davis and Virginia Ward (women’s volleyball) were recognized for Exemplary Academic Achievement as were Kayla Kelly and Monica Kelley (women’s softball) and Zeke Little and Umoh Ufot (men’s soccer). Those six students achieved GPAs of 3.60-3.79.
Twenty-six students received Academic All-Conference honors for attaining grade point averages of 3.0 or high, while 23 ECC student athletes achieved Academic All-Region honor by earning GPAs of 3.25 or higher.
Dayla Gruenloh, center, infielder for the East Central College softball Falcons the past two seasons, was named the 2015-2016 Scholar Athlete at ECC. She is pictured with Debra Mann-Kurka, assistant softball coach, and Brad Wallach, head coach.
Gruenloh, a sophomore infielder for the Falcons, maintained a grade point average of 3.88 and was named ECC’s Scholar Athlete. Little was co-recipient of the Outstanding Student Award at ECC’s May commencement ceremony.
The softball team compiled a 28-22 record in 2016. The ECC soccer Falcons finished their season 16-4-1, advancing to the Region 16 final where they fell to Jefferson College. The volleyball team ended the season with a record of 24-20, losing to Northeastern Oklahoma A & M in the Region 16/District O semifinals.
“The consistency of team performance is truly dependent upon the work ethic of the coaches and players on the field and court along with their dedication to their studies,” noted Dr. Jay Mehrhoff, ECC athletic director.
National Junior College Athletic Association Honored Student Athletes
Kayla Bocherding — Women’s Volleyball Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence
Sarah Borgerding — Women’s Volleyball Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence
Dayla Gruenloh — Women’s Softball Superior Academic Achievement
Eden Henry — Women’s Softball Superior Academic Achievement
Karissa Hoffman — Women’s Softball Superior Academic Achievement
Chelsea Delay — Women’s Volleyball Superior Academic Achievement
Region 16 Academic All-Region (3.25 GPA or higher)
SOFTBALL
Shelby Friend, Dayla Gruenloh, Eden Henry, Karissa Hoffman, Monica Kelley, Kayla Kelly, and Lizzy Swindell
VOLLEYBALL
Kayla Borcherding, Sarah Borgerding, Taylor Davis, Samantha Deason, Chelsea DeLay, Alexis Olney, Olivia Strode, Mackenzy Vedder, and Virginia Ward
SOCCER
Andrei Ciot, Archibald Darko-Boateng, Matt Hampton, Jindu Israel-Bolarinwa, Zeke Little, Gavyn Prsha, and Umoh Ufot
Missouri Community College Athletic Conference
Academic All-Conference (3.0 GPA or higher)
SOFTBALL
Shelby Friend, Dayla Gruenloh, Eden Henry, Karissa Hoffman, Monica Kelley, Kayla Kelly, Lizzy Swindell, and Makala Trail
VOLLEYBALL
Kayla Borcherding, Sarah Borgerding, Taylor Davis, Samantha Deason, Chelsea DeLay, Samantha Kolo, Alexis Olney, Olivia Strode, Mackenzy Vedder, and Virginia Ward
SOCCER
Andrei Ciot, Archibald Darko-Boateng, Darren Hamilton, Matt Hampton, Jindu Israel-Bolarinwa, Zeke Little, Gavyn Prsha, and Umoh Ufot
