Nike Baseball Camp at Embry Riddle University

At Mountain Ridge High School, Coach Kiepke earned Coach of the Year honors twice, in 2003 and 2004, recognizing his ability to elevate team performance and cultivate a winning culture. Under his guidance, teams consistently competed at the highest levels of Arizona high school baseball.

His expertise has also been recognized beyond the school level. He has served as a two-time All-Star Coach for the Arizona Baseball Coaches (AZBC), and was selected as an AZBC Super Prep 50 Coach, reflecting his reputation for preparing elite-level players for the next stages of their athletic careers.

Coach Kiepke’s leadership extended to the national stage as well, where he proudly represented Arizona three times as a Sunbelt Coach. Notably, he led the only team from Arizona to ever win the prestigious Sunbelt Championship, a milestone that underscores his ability to inspire and unify top-tier talent against elite competition.

Whether coaching at camps, mentoring individual players, or leading teams to championship-level success, Coach Kiepke’s passion for the game and commitment to excellence continue to leave a lasting impact on Arizona baseball

Joe McDonald enters his seventh season as the head coach of Arizona Christian baseball with a record of 190-121 in his first six seasons. This will be his 30th season of coaching overall.

The Firestorm baseball program is fresh off of their first ever appearance in the 2024 NAIA World Series with a top 5 finish in the country. Coach McDonald was named an ABCA Regional Coach of the Year! This was the 2nd time under Coach McDonald ACU reached the NAIA National Tournament, 2019 & 2024.

Records for ACU Baseball were changed- in some cases shattered- during the 2024 season. The most impressive records changed were home runs now at 99 (up 41 from the previous mark) and strikeouts at 623 (139 more than the old top mark). Other records broken include slugging and on base percentage, runs scored, RBI, hits, doubles, total bases, walks, hit by pitch, innings pitched, wins, shutouts, and strikeouts looking.

Prior to ACU, McDonald was the only head coach at Boulder Creek HS in Anthem after he started the team in 2005 (began playing varsity in 2006). Under his guidance, the Jaguars reached the Arizona state playoffs eight times which includes finishing in the top five three times.

In 2010, Boulder Creek set the state of Arizona record with 485 team hits in a season. After BCHS won the regional championship and ended with a 33-6 record in 2011, Coach McDonald was awarded the AIA State, City of Phoenix, and Northwest Regional Coach of the Year honors. One year later, the BCHS diamond was named the ABCA National Field of the Year.

On the strength of his 249 wins at BCHS, Coach McDonald saw 45 players sign to play college baseball including Coby Boulware- a 2018 Freshman All-American at TCU. Two of McDonald’s players have signed professional contracts- Alex Real with the Minnesota Twins and West Tunnell with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Success on the field was started by success in the classroom as the Jaguars posted a cumulative GPA of 3.3 in the 12 years under McDonald.

Along with coaching, Coach McDonald was the Physical Education Department Chair at Boulder Creek High School. In addition, he was named the Assistant Athletic Director of the Deer Valley Unified School District where one of his many accomplishments was starting the Victory with Honor program. Prior to moving to Arizona, Coach McDonald served as the Head Assistant Baseball Coach at Western Oregon University from 1998-2000. He also coached a summer each in the Arizona Junior College Summer League and Northwest Collegiate Baseball League. As a player, McDonald played two seasons at Western Oregon University and one season at Linfield College. The outfielder was an All-State selection and two time All-Intermountain Conference selection at Bend High School. Academically, McDonald earned a physical education degree with a minor in health from Western Oregon University in 1998. Four years later, he added a master’s degree in education from Western Oregon University. Coach McDonald and his wife, Pam, have three daughters- Jaysa, Paislee, and Liliana- and two sons- Montgomery and Kayden. The McDonalds are volunteers with the Christian Family Care Adoption Agency.

Coach Milner has an impressive resume that includes extensive collegiate coaching experience, but most importantly he has a history of changing lives through his ministry.

Most recently, Milner served five seasons as assistant head coach for the Arizona Christian University Firestorm. His baseball responsibilities at ACU included serving as bench coach, recruiting, and working with catchers. Off the field, Milner was charged with the spiritual development and mental well-being of the Firestorm coaches and players. He will take the helm of an up-and-coming Hawks team that features many talented young pitchers and position players.

Milner has also worked full-time with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) over the past three years in the Phoenix area. He will continue this ministry, transitioning to part-time with the organization in San Diego to serve high schools around SDCC. Milner believes in using his calling as a coach to be a positive influence on athletes. He loves handing out Bibles, starting coaches' Bible studies, and ultimately seeing lives transformed by Christ.

Milner received a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a minor in English from Wayland Baptist University and has been working on a Master's in Kinesiology at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Prior to WBU, he attended Glendale Community College.

Coach Milner and his wife Melissa are approaching their 18th anniversary. They have 2 children, a daughter, Ryann, 15, and a son Travis, 13. Ryann is a basketball player who loves getting things done and hanging out at sporting events. Travis, who is a great friend to many a ballplayer, loves anything to do with being outdoors. In addition to coaching, Milner loves to have game nights and hang out with friends. He likes to camp with his family and explore the outdoors whenever he has free time. Don't be surprised if you also find Coach Milner on the disc golf course.