Kevin Tidey

Kevin Tidey is in his ninth season at the helm of the Davenport baseball team and is entering his 12th campaign with the program having served as an assistant from 2009-2011. He has been a member of the coaching staff for the entire existance of DU baseball.

In eight years at the helm, Tidey has compiled a 315-132 record and has earned one Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference regular season and two tournament championships. The program also made four straight appearances in the NAIA National Championship from 2014-17.

In 2019, the Panthers compiled another 30-win season under Tidey finishing 32-18. The team finished fourth in the GLIAC standings with a 16-11 record. The team won 15 of their last 20 conference contests to end the season and then won a pair of games in the GLIAC Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. The offense had one of the best seasons in school history. DU set single-season records for slugging percentage (.507) and home runs (52). Tidey coached 10 all-GLIAC performers including First Team selections in Jacob Buchberger, Nolan Bryant and Travis Harvey. Buchberger was also named GLIAC Player of the Year and was a Third Team All-American in three different organizations.

The Panthers entered the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and played an NCAA Division II schedule beginning in 2018. It did not stop the program from achieving big things as they placed second in the GLIAC regular season just one game behind Northwood University. They also were runner-up in the GLIAC Tournament hosted in Detroit and finished with a 33-19 overall record. It did not take long for the Panthers to earn their first top 10 win over an NCAA DII opponent. On March 2, the Panthers defeated No. 7 Minnesota State-Mankato 10-8. On April 27, Grant Wolfram became the first DU pitcher in five years to toss a no-hitter against Ashland as the Panthers took all four games of the series. DU extended their win streak to eight games with four wins against Purdue Northwest heading into the GLIAC Tournament. The Panthers lost their opening game against GVSU, but battled back with three straight wins including a walk-off grand slam by Jacob Buchberger in the 12th inning against Ashland on May 13. Wolfram was selected by the Texas Rangers in the MLB Draft at season's end marking three straight years that a Panther was drafted.

The 2017 season was another banner year as the Panthers finished 43-17 overall and 26-6 in the WHAC. Davenport finished second in the regular season and were runner-up in the conference tournament. The team had an incredible 20-1 record at home including their final eight games at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex. They had a 3-0 win over No. 15 Kaiser on March 4. They also beat No. 19 Indiana Tech twice. The Panthers won three games in the WHAC Tournament and dropped two against No. 7 Northwestern Ohio on their home field. Davenport won two games in the NAIA Opening Round hosted by Bellevue. After an opening loss to No. 19 University of Science and Arts, they defeated Judson and Antelope Valley to stay alive. They ended the season with a 3-2 loss against No. 2 Bellevue. Jonathan Cheshire was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and sophomore pitcher Grant Wolfram was named Second Team All-American.

The 2016 season saw the Panthers finish second in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference two games behind Madonna. The team went 2-2 in the WHAC Tournament and also hosted the NAIA Opening Round. The Panthers won their first two games against #12 York, Neb. (4-2) and #2 Bellevue, Neb. (7-4). Bellevue then came back for 6-5 and 7-2 wins as DU finished runner-up. DU was one strike away from returning to Idaho and the NAIA World Series in the 6-5 loss against the Bruins. The Panthers received 62 votes in the final NAIA coaches poll at season's end. The season was capped off by four players being drafted in the MLB Amateur Draft. Brandon White was the first Panther ever selected in the draft going to the Atlanta Braves in the 13th round. Bryan Saucedo was selected in the 14th round by the Chicago White Sox. Corbin Clouse was snagged in the 27th round by the Atlanta Braves. NAIA First Team All-American Travis Bolin was picked in the 32nd round by the Texas Rangers. Bolin was also named WHAC Player of the Year while Matt Priebe and Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle were both named First Team All-WHAC.

The 2015 season saw the baseball program reach new heights, including a 51-win season along with setting a new program record 24-game win streak. While clinching the second WHAC Tournament championship, the Panthers hosted the NAIA National Opening Round and went 3-1 to punch a ticket to the NAIA World Series for the first time in program history.

The 2014 squad started the tradition of making the national postseason by winning both the WHAC regular-season and tournament titles. The Panthers made their first ever appearance in the NAIA National Championship that year where they traveled to Santa Clarita, Calif., for the Opening Round.

As head coach, Tidey has produced thee WHAC Players of the Year (Michael Allen in 2013, Brendan Bender in 2015, Travis Bolin in 2016) and a WHAC Pitcher of the Year (Corey Murphy in 2014).

Tidey served as an assistant at DU for three seasons under head coach Wes Cummings before taking the reins in 2012. He also served on the coaching staff at Sparta High School, where he helped build the Spartans program into one of the best programs in West Michigan.

At Sparta, his teams won four district titles, one regional championship and made one appearance in the quarterfinals. Tidey compiled a record of 66-11 in his last two seasons with the Spartans as they were ranked in the Top 5 in Division II each season.

Tidey's playing experience goes back to Grand Rapids J.C. and Aquinas College where he received all-conference and all-region honors at GRJC.