Linn-Benton Community College has hired Ryan Gipson as head coach for its baseball program, which has been reinstated starting with the 2015 season.
Gipson started June 2. He graduated from Oregon State University, and played for the Beavers’ College World Series Championship team in 2006. He played professionally for the Eastern Hills Hornets, the Yuma Scorpions of the Golden Baseball League in Arizona, and the Rockford River Hawks of Frontier Baseball League in Illinois.
For the past two years, he has served as assistant baseball coach at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah. Previously, he worked as an evaluator and instructor at Baseball Northwest, as undergraduate assistant coach at Oregon State University, and as the head coach of the Eastern Hills Hornets of the Western Australian Provincial League in Perth.
The decision to reinstate LBCC’s baseball team came after months of discussions and work with community members to create a program structure that fosters high completion rates among student athletes and generates significant involvement of the community in supporting the program.
A yet-to-be determined women’s sport will be added by the 2015-16 season to create gender equity among LBCC’s athletic programs. Current college teams include women’s volleyball and men’s basketball.