Joel Schipper

Biography

Calvin University named Joel Schipper its new head baseball coach on Monday, July 1, 2024. In his debut season in 2025, Schipper led the Knights to a 23-18 record and a second place finish in the MIAA with a 15-6 conference record. Prior to taking the head coaching position at Calvin, Schipper spent three seasons as the head baseball coach at Hastings College (Neb.), where he improved the team's win total each year, including a 14-win campaign in 2024. He also was an assistant coach at Davenport in 2021 and spent two seasons as an assistant coach under Kevin Van Duyn at Calvin in 2019 and 2020. A Grand Rapids native, Schipper is a two-sport standout from Grand Valley State University, where he played baseball and football. As a baseball player, he appeared in 77 games and hit .321 as a junior, winning GLIAC championships in each of his three seasons. As a kicker, he made 49 field goal attempts and ended his career as the 2nd leading scorer in GVSU football history with 54 consecutive starts. He graduated from GVSU in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and sports leadership and earned his master's degree in recreation and sport sciences from Ohio University in 2021. A Grand Rapids Christian High School alum, Schipper earned All-State honors in baseball, football, and soccer and was part of three state championship teams.