Bill Walkenbach

Bill Walkenbach is an American college baseball coach, currently the head coach of Division III Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Previously, he was the head coach at Cornell from 2009 season to 2015 season and at Franklin & Marshall from 2006 to 2008. Walkenbach led both of these schools to an NCAA tournament appearance.

Playing career Walkenbach attended Cornell, where he played baseball from 1995 to 1998. A shortstop, he was named All-Ivy League as a first-teamer in his freshman and sophomore seasons and a second-teamer in his junior and senior seasons. His first Division I came as an assistant at Cornell from 2004 to 2005. In 2005, the Big Red won their first Gehrig Division title but lost to Harvard in the Ivy Championship Series.

Franklin & Marshall His first head coaching job was at Division III Franklin & Marshall (F&M), where he coached from 2006 to 2008, replacing Brett Boretti, who had left to become the head coach at Columbia. In three seasons, the Diplomats had a 69–42 record under Walkenbach. They won the Centennial Conference regular season title in 2006 and 2007 and the Centennial Tournament in 2006. In the 2006 NCAA tournament, the team went 1–2 in the Mid-Atlantic Regional. It beat Gwynedd Mercy in the opener, then lost to TCNJ and Montclair State and was eliminated. F&M's Ted Serro won the 2006 Centennial Pitcher of the Year award, and Gary Kruger was named the Player of the Year. Serro was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2006 MLB draft.

Cornell Ahead of the 2009 season, Walkenbach was hired as the head coach at Cornell. He replaced his old coach, Tom Ford, who was demoted to associate head coach.

In 2009, Cornell shared the Gehrig Division title with Princeton. They defeated the Tigers in the divisional playoff game but lost to Dartmouth in the Ivy Championship Series.

Between 2009 and 2015, Cornell had one major award winner and two draftees under Walkenbach. In 2011, the Boston Red Sox selected Jadd Schmeltzer in the 49th round. In 2012, pitcher Kellon Urbon was unanimously selected the Ivy League Rookie of the Year. In 2014, the Arizona Diamondbacks took pitcher Brent Jones in the fourth round of the draft.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Prior to the 2016 season, Walkenbach left Cornell to accept the head coaching position at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, a Division III program in his hometown.

Head coaching record Below is a table of Walkenbach's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.

Personal Walkenbach has two daughters, Julia and Charlotte. He does not like tomatoes. Walkenbach's late wife, Beth, also graduated from Cornell. She has served as a field hockey coach at Cornell, Franklin & Marshall, and Ithaca.