Bio

Dakota Wesleyan University ’11
Dakota Wesleyan University ’12

Entering his seventh season as the DWU head baseball coach, Greicar hopes to build off a season ago and bring the Tigers back to the Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament.

Last season the Tigers kept pace with the always competetive GPAC. However, a slump at the end of the season kept DWU from reaching the GPAC Tournament for a fourth-straight year. Greicar landed five players on the All-GPAC Team a season ago as Reed Harter was named to the All-GPAC Second Team. Gavin Reichmuth was the recipient of the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Baseball Gold Glove Award, as well as being named to the All-GPAC Honorable Mention Team. Other members who were recognized include Dillon Stadlman, Wes Anderson and Dominique Boerger landing on the All-GPAC Honorable Mention Team. 

In his third season, Greicar guided the Tigers to the GPAC Tournament for the third-straight season under his command and landed eight players on the All-GPAC Honorable Mention list.

Two years ago, Greicar led the Tigers back to the GPAC Tournament and finished the season at 25-27. Numerous players received postseason accolades in Greicar's second season, including eight All-GPAC Honorable Mentions. 

During the 2016 campaign, the Tigers went on a nine-game winning streak, including a series win at Peru State in Peru, Neb.

In his first year as head coach of the DWU baseball program, John Greicar guided a hungry group of Tigers through a rough start and to an unexpected run to close the 2015 season.

After starting the season 9-17 and 1-7 in the GPAC, DWU got hot on the strength of dominant starting pitching and improved hitting. The Tigers closed the regular season winning nine of their last 12 conference games, earning a spot in the GPAC postseason tournament. Despite being the No. 7 seed in the tournament, DWU went in feeling like a team no one wanted to see. 

The Tigers were placed in the Doane College Bracket for the first round and promptly defeated all three teams they faced, including a wild 9-8 win over the host team on day one. With No. 8 Midland University winning its bracket, DWU was awarded the right to host the GPAC tournament championship game at Cadwell Park in Mitchell. The Tigers fell behind the Warriors 4-0 early, but stormed back to win the title game 7-6 and earn a spot in the NAIA Opening Round.

DWU headed to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the NAIA Opening Round and dropped two tightly contested games against some of the best competition in the country.

Ten Tigers earned All-GPAC recognition in 2015 under Greicar, including pitcher Joey Fitzgerald, who was named to the All-GPAC First Team and honored with the league's Pitcher-of-the-Year award. Catcher Ben Ladner was named to the All-GPAC Second Team, while eight others earned Honorable Mentions. During the Tigers midseason run through the GPAC, outfielder Jared Neilan picked up an Offensive Player-of-the-Week nod. The Tigers also placed five players on the Daktronics/NAIA Scholar Athlete list for 2015.

Prior to taking over as the head coach, Greicar, a Grand Forks, N.D., native, completed his third season as an assistant coach for the Tiger baseball team in 2014. He was part of DWU’s run to the championship game at the Great Plains Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament where the Tigers lost to Midland University. Greicar was part of three 20-win teams during his tenure as assistant coach, and helped DWU to a 27-24 record in 2014 – the most wins since the 2010 season. While serving as an assistant coach, Greicar helped coach 27 All-GPAC athletes, including five first-team selections and one GPAC Player-of-the-Year.

Greicar graduated with his master’s degree in educational policy and administration from Dakota Wesleyan in 2012. Greicar also brings a familiarity of the admissions process and some insight into recruiting after serving as an admissions counselor at Dakota Wesleyan for two years.

Before he made the transition to a coach, Greicar finished out his college baseball career at Dakota Wesleyan. In his senior season with the Tigers, Greicar – who graduated with a degree in sports management in May 2011 – led the team in batting average (.351), hits (52), doubles (13), RBIs (26), putouts (348) and fielding percentage (.974). The first baseman earned All-GPAC Honorable Mention honors in 2011. As a junior, Greicar led the team with 272 putouts. Before coming to DWU, Greicar played two seasons at Northland Community College in East Grand Forks, Minn.