Ryan Schalk enters his fourth season with the Toledo softball program in 2022 after joining the Rockets prior to the 2019 campaign. In his role, Schalk is responsible primarily for the development and improvement of the team’s offense.
Returning to the field for the first time since the 2020 was abruptly shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Toledo set school records as a team for batting average (.299), on-base percentage (.375), slugging percentage (.426), runs scored (276) and RBIs (243) en route to a 31-22 overall record.
Schalk helped the Rockets capture the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament title in his first season at Toledo, and was responsible for recruiting, practice planning, scouting, defensive positioning, and game-hitting strategy as well as several other tasks. Under his direction, Toledo improved its overall team batting average, despite losing the team's top two hitters from the previous season. Nine individuals on the team improved their batting averages under Schalk's direction.
Schalk came from Alverno College where he was the head coach of their softball program. Schalk guided the program to 14 overall wins and six Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) victories. Under Schalk, six student-athletes were named NACC Scholar-Athletes as well. The six selections accounted for nearly 25 percent of all of Alverno's selections to the Scholar-Athlete team.
Prior to his arrival at Alverno, Schalk was an assistant coach at Grand Valley State for the 2017 season where he helped lead the team to a 33-18 (17-5 GLIAC) record, highlighted by a GLIAC regular season championship and appearance in the Midwest Regional. During his time in Allendale, Mich., Schalk coached three first team all-conference student-athletes as well as the conference Pitcher of the Year, in addition to three NFCA All-Region selections.
Schalk has also coached at Muskegon Community College, where he was the head coach from 2014-16 as well as the assistant coach from 2008-14. The 2014 and 2016 MCCAA Western Conference Coach of the Year, Schalk increased the team’s winning percentage each season, highlighted by a 40-win season and MCCAA State Championship in 2016. During the 2016 season, Schalk led Muskegon to national recognition, with his team holding rankings as high as ninth in the nation, never falling out of the top-20 during the season. Schalk also tutored a NJCAA All-American and two NFCA All-Americans during his time at the helm.
Schalk earned his associate's degree in science and arts from Muskegon Community College in 2008 before receiving his bachelor's degree in physical education from Grand Valley State in 2014. He received his master's degree in recreation and leisure administration from Toledo in 2021.
