Tripp Keister, a former standout outfielder at the University of Delaware and a respected professional scout and NCAA Division I head coach, is in his fourth year as head baseball coach and Associate Director of Sports at Wesley. Keister also played five years of minor league baseball in the New York Mets organization.
Keister has wasted no time turning around a program that had not had a winning record or advanced to the conference postseason since 2001. His first three years have resulted in the winningest three-year run in Wolverine baseball history with 80 victories, three conference postseason bids and a pair of berths into the ECAC South Championship. The 2007 squad won a school record 30 games, while the 2008 edition ranks second with 27 victories.
Wesley moved into the competitive Capital Athletic Conference in
2008, but still managed to post 27 wins, including a 10-8
mark in the conference. Four Wolverines were named to
the All-CAC team after the year. His team finished eighth in
Division III in stolen bases with 120, while the pitching staff was
15th, allowing only 8.68 hits per nine innings. Both Stu
Madden and Kevin Ellis finished in the top 10 in stolen bases,
combining for 69 swipes. Pitcher Colin Warner was third in
Division III with 12.7 strikeouts per nine.
In Keister's first year with Wesley, he led the Wolverines to a 23-19 overall mark and a 12-9 record in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC). His efforts earned him PAC Coach of the Year honors after the season. The rebuilding process continued in 2007, as the team notched a 30-14 record and went 17-9 in the PAC, earning a bid to the ECAC Postseason.
Keister is just the third Wesley diamond coach in the past 36 years. A graduate of McKean High School, Keister earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education at the University of Delaware in 1992, where he also lettered as a star outfield on the school's baseball team. Ironically, he played at UD under legendary Coach Bob Hannah, a Wesley College graduate. The New York Mets subsequently drafted him in the 32nd round of the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft.
After playing four years of minor league baseball, he became an assistant baseball coach at the University of South Carolina from 1996-98. Delaware State University hired him as its head baseball coach in July 1998, and over the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Keister turned around a losing program and led the team to a 45-38 overall record that included two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference North Division titles, including a 14-1 mark in 2000. Keister left DSU after the 2000 season to assume a scouting post with the San Diego Padres. With the Padres, he served as an amateur scout, and also scouted the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Baltimore Orioles. He continued in the scouting post until he was named associate athletic director of development at DSU.
Keister currently resides with his wife Maureen and his three children in Smyrna, Delaware.
Coaching Career:
1996-1998- Assistant Coach- University of South Carolina
1999-2000- Head Coach- Delaware State University (45-38, two-time
MEAC Northern Division Champions)
2006-Present- Head Coach- Wesley College (80-48, two ECAC
Tournaments, PAC Coach of the Year)
Playing Career:
1989-1992- University of Delaware
1992- Drafted in 32nd round by New York Mets
1992- Pittsfield Mets
1993- Capital City Bombers (A)
1994- St. Lucie Mets (A)
1995- Binghamton Mets (AA)
Year |
Overall |
Pct. |
Conf. |
Pct. |
Notes |
| 2006 | 23-19 | .548 | 12-9 | .571 |
PAC Playoffs
PAC Coach of the Year |
| 2007 | 30-14 | .682 | 17-9 | .654 |
PAC Playoffs
ECAC Playoffs |
| 2008 | 27-15 | .643 | 10-8* | .556 | CAC Playoffs ECAC Playoffs |
| 2009 | 26-17-1 | .602 | 11-7 | .611 | CAC Playoffs ECAC South Runner Up |
| at Wesley | 106-65-1 | .619 | 50-33 | .602 | |
| at Delaware State | 45-38 | .542 | 27-6 | .818 | |
| Career | 151-103-1 | .594 | 77-39 | .673 |
*Joined Capital Athletic Conference
Bret Underwood begins his fourth year as an Assistant Baseball
Coach with the Wesley College baseball program. Bret’s
responsibilities include working with the hitters and infielders
and coaching first base. Underwood was instrumental in the
development of Jordan Smith who hit .348 and led the Wolverines in
home runs and RBIs in 2006.
“Coach Underwood is a student of the game who relates very
well to our players. He is an outstanding teacher of the game and
he will be counted on to continue the development of our younger
hitters” says Wesley Head Coach Tripp Keister.
Bret was a four year starter at Delaware State University at first
base, where he was one of the most prolific hitters in school
history. He ranks in the top three in hits, home runs, runs batted
in, runs scored, and extra base hits. As a sophomore, he finished
19th in Division I in RBIs. After completing his senior year
at Delaware State, Bret signed a free agent contract with the
Boston Red Sox. Bret attended Dickinson High School in Wilmington,
Delaware where he was a two-time all-state selection.
Coaching Career:
2006- Assistant Coach- Wesley College
Playing Career:
2005- Spring Training- Boston Red Sox, Washington Wild Things-
Independent Frontier League
2004- Ft. Myers Red Sox- Gulf Coast League
2004- Delaware State University (First Team All-MEAC)
2003- Delaware State University (First Team All-MEAC)
2002- Delaware State University (First Team All-MEAC)
2001- Delaware State University
Chris Stephens is in his second season as an assistant with the Wesley College baseball team. He works primarily with the outfielders and hitters.
During his first season in the dugout, the team had two wins over nationally ranked squads and advanced to the championship game of the ECAC Division III South Tournament.
Stephens, who is pursuing a master's degree in education, also
serves as a resident director and intramural assistant at
Wesley. He graduated from North Georgia in 2007 with a
bachelor's degree in history, minoring in philosophy.
Dan Bunnion is in his first season as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater.
During his playing career, Bunnion was a two-time all-conference selection at catcher for the Wolverines. He drove in a school record 127 runs during his career and also ranks among the all-time Wesley leaders in runs, hits, and doubles. Bunnion was a member of the school's first 30-win team in 2006.
A 2009 graduate with a degree in physical education, Bunnion is
pursuing a master's degree at Wesley.
