Baseball Coaching Staff
Coach Randall will become just the second NJCAA Division III non-scholarship coach to reach 800 career victories this season.
Dave Randall, Head Coach
The Chiefs’ first win off the 2012 season will mark another milestone for long time head coach Dave Randall. In his 35th consecutive season directing the Chiefs’ baseball program, Randall will become just the second NJCAA Division III coach to reach 800 career wins. Overall, he will become the 20th active coach and 50th all-time in NJCAA history to garner that many victories on a baseball diamond.
The longest current tenured coach in any sport for the NJCAA’s Region IV, Randall was inducted into the Region IV Hall of Fame in 2005. His successful reign was also recognized in 2002 with his induction into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Respected for his fairness and honesty, he serves on the NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Committee and is the Region IV Code of Conduct chairman.
Randall’s teams have been ranked in the top-15 of the NJCAA’s non-scholarship Division III polls for 17 of the last 20 years, including last year when the Chiefs finished 37-20 to set a school-record for wins in a season. The lone non-scholarship baseball program in the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC), Waubonsee has captured the league title the last two years in a row and five times (1984, 1988 & 1998) under Randall’s direction.
In 1996 Randall led the Chiefs to a National Runner-up finish at the NJCAA Division III World Series. The Chiefs returned to the World Series in 2010 after winning the Region IV title. Randall has also guided Waubonsee to a pair of sectional titles (1992 and 1993), two Region IV Division III crowns (1996 and 1998), and six other appearances in the Region IV title game. Over the years, Randall has been honored with numerous awards including the prestigious Chicago Hit and Pitch Junior College Coach of the Year award in 1996. In addition, Randall was recognized as Waubonsee’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in 1984.
Coach Randall’s track record of commitment to education and athletics is evident as 85 percent of his players have transferred to a senior institution and more than 165 have played college baseball at that institution. Under his tutelage 80 of his players have participated in the Region IV All-Star game, while 91 have been selected All-Region and a similar number have been named All-ISCC First Team. Waubonsee has had 15 NJCAA All-Americans and a dozen former Chiefs have had the opportunity to play professionally. A true teacher of the game, Randall has had nearly 40 former players go on to coach at either the prep or collegiate level.
Randall became Waubonsee’s Athletic Manager in 1984, where he oversees a 14-team athletic department. In other administrative roles, Randall is the baseball chairman for the ISCC, manages the baseball coaches poll for the Region IV, is the former baseball chairman for the Region IV, and directed the Region IV Junior College All-Star game for over 20 years. An active member of the community, Randall is involved in the promotion of area baseball and softball. He operates Waubonsee’s Annual Hitting Camp, runs the Fox Valley Fall Baseball League, coaches with the Northern Illinois Thunder fastpitch softball organization, speaks at several baseball camps throughout the northern Illinois region, and was a certified umpire.
The Kaneland High School graduate was a two-year starter in centerfield for the Chiefs, serving as team captain his sophomore year. Randall earned an associate’s degree from Waubonsee in 1973 and continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from UW-LaCrosse and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University. Randall and his wife Kathy reside in Yorkville and have two daughters, Jessica, who played softball for Waubonsee in 2006 and 2007, and Rebecca, who is a sophomore on this year’s Lady Chiefs softball squad.
Mark Hernandez, Assistant Coach
Mark Hernandez is in his 10th season with the Chiefs’ program. He has served as an assistant coach (1993-1996, 2009-present) and volunteer assistant coach (2003 and 2007). In between he led Harper College’s baseball program in 2008. Twice Coach Hernandez has helped guide the Chiefs to the NJCAA Division III World Series, in 2010 and 1996 when Waubonsee finished as National Runner-up.
Once again this season Hernandez will be working with the Chiefs’ hitters, first baseman, outfielders, and coaching third base. He has also been in charge of Waubonsee’s rigorous T-N-T (training and toughness) conditioning program. In addition, he has also been an assistant coach at both of his alma maters, Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) and Elgin Community College (ECC), along with serving as pitching coach and third base coach for the Rockford Foresters, who were the 2010 Great Plains League Champion. Hernandez has also been a Physical Education instructor at Waubonsee, and operates Skull Sessions Training Club, a baseball training program geared for youth through high school age players.
Hernandez was a pitcher and first baseman on Marshalltown, Iowa’s 1985 State Championship team, earning “Best in the Midwest” honors as a junior. He transferred to Saint Charles East High School, where he was tabbed a Chicago Sun-Times top first base prospect and a unanimous first team Upstate Eight All-Conference. In 1988, the lefty was one of the top hitters in the nation while being named All-Skyway Conference at ECC, leading the esteemed league in batting with a .477 average. He received an NCAA Division I academic and athletic scholarship to NEIU, graduating in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in Fitness and Wellness. Hernandez completed a master’s degree Cum Laude in Business Administration from Olivet Nazarene University in 2004. Off the field Hernandez is an avid golfer who has qualified for several USGA sanctioned regional tournaments.
Steve Moga, Volunteer Assistant Coach
The 2012 season marks Steve Moga’s 11th year working with the Chiefs’ pitchers. Under his tutelage, Jeremy Broitzman (2004) earned Waubonsee’s Most Improved Award, a school-record six hurlers won four or more games in 2005, Eric Snyder (2006) tossed a no-hitter at nationally-ranked Elgin, and prodigy Derek Kopko (2008) finished second among NJCAA players with eight saves. The Chiefs’ pitchers were vital to the team reaching the NJCAA Division III World Series in 2010, and last spring they helped pace the squad to a school-record for wins in a season with 37.
A former Chiefs’ hurler, Moga earned Waubonsee’s Most Improved Award in 1986 before moving on to Aurora University. He hurled a shutout at the 1987 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional to eliminate top-ranked and defending national champion, Marietta (Ohio) College. His senior season, Moga earned the Spartans’ and Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Conference’s MVP awards, while also being named Aurora’s Male Athlete of the Year. Coach Moga served as a volunteer pitching coach for Aurora (1990-1993), helping them reach the Small College World Series twice with a National Runner-up finish in 1990. Aurora’s 1993 pitching staff led the nation in lowest earned run average and had two pitchers signed to professional contracts.
A 1984 graduate of Hinckley-Big Rock High School, Moga earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Aurora and worked 12 years in the video industry. He currently works as Waubonsee’s Sports Information Specialist, still plays competitive baseball in the Chicago Central Suburban MSBL, and has served on the Board of Directors for Joy in the Harvest, a Christian-based ministry operating in Tanzania, Africa, since 2001. Coach Moga and his wife Pam reside in Oswego with their eleven-year-old son, Joshua.
Jeff Marcley, Volunteer Assistant Coach
Jeff Marcley embarks on his eighth season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Chiefs. He brings to the Chiefs’ dugout extensive experience as a player and coach, along with a true love for the game. Marcley will once again work with the Chiefs’ catchers, who have been instrumental in the team’s success. With his assistance receiver Ryan Payne finish second nationally in fielding percentage in 2010, as the Chiefs advanced to the NJCAA Division III World Series.
Marcley graduated from Aurora West High School in 1973 and was an integral part of Waubonsee’s baseball team in 1975. Marcley transferred to Western Michigan University, graduating in 1977 with degrees in Petroleum Marketing and Business. He continued playing semi-pro baseball for 18 seasons while also coaching at the American Legion level for most of that time.
Coach Marcley spent eight years as a manager, Traveling Coordinator and member of the Board of Directors for the North Aurora Baseball Association. He currently co-manages the Chicago Zephyers, a semi-pro/collegiate prospect team. Away from the diamond, he manages his family’s petroleum business and several other enterprises. A resident of Millbrook, Marcley and his wife Lauren have three sons, Matt, Ryan and Adam, who played for the Chiefs in 2007 and 2008.
Tom Kinney, Volunteer Assistant Coach
Tom Kinney begins his third season with the Chiefs’ program. He helped the Chiefs advance to the NJCAA Division III World Series in his “rookie” season, and a school-record for wins in a season last year. A former junior college and minor league professional pitcher, he brings a plethora of knowledge and experience to the program. Kinney will help guide the Chiefs’ pitchers in all aspects of the game, just as he has the last two seasons when pitchers Chris Jordan (2010) and Dan Okapal (2011) each earned NJCAA Third Team All-American status.
Kinney graduated from Morton High School in 1986 where he was a First Team All-Conference selection on the diamond. He went on to play a season each at Olney Central College, Illinois Central College, Florida Atlantic University and Bradley University. A left-handed hurler, Kinney was signed as a free agent in 1990 with the St. Louis Cardinals organization where he earned the Rolaids Relief Award in the Arizona Rookie League. He spent a second season in the South Atlantic League before being released.
Kinney completed a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at Sangamon State University in 1991. He was a Police Officer in nearby Aurora for nearly twenty years, serving in a number of capacities during that time. In addition, Kinney also coaches with the Chicago Zephyers organization, youth travel baseballs teams, and gives private lessons to young players. He and his wife Kim have three sons, Thomas, Kyle and Chase.
Pete Gama, Volunteer Assistant Coach
The 2012 season is the 18th year Pete Gama has assisted the Chiefs’ program in one capacity or another since the mid-1980's. He has worn many different hats over the years as third base coach, first base coach, hitting instructor and bench coach. This spring Coach Gama will continue to work with the Chiefs’ infielders and serve as Waubonsee’s bench coach.
Gama has been a successful head coach in his own right with stints at Parkland College and Illinois Valley Community College in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. In addition, since 1981 he has been in charge of the Ottawa Baseball Boosters program, an organization that supports and operates three teams in the Ottawa area. Coach Gama personally runs the Ottawa Chiefs Connie Mack squad.
A 1962 graduate of Ottawa Marquette High School, Gama still resides in Ottawa. Retired from the construction industry, he can often be found these days on a golf course or at a poker table. Coach Gama has two grown children, Karla and Rich, who was a successful pitcher for the Chiefs in the late 1980’s. Additionally, Gama is “Grandpa” to grandkids, Kassidy age 18, Carter age 16 and Andrew age 12.
