Ryan Bay accepts NOC Enid Baseball position
Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa Baseball Coach Ryan Bay accepted the NOC Enid Jets Baseball Coaching position on Wednesday.
Bay replaces Scott Mansfield who accepted a position as the Enid Public Schools Athletic Director this past Monday.
Bay has been at NOC Tonkawa nine seasons with a career record of 317-177. He is 671-474 as a head coach over 20 seasons. At NOC Tonkawa, Bay coached five All-Americans and has had four players selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
“My college coaching career started at NOC Enid with coach (Raydon) Leaton,” Bay said. “He started the program and it was exciting to be a part of that after playing for him in high school. Not many coaches get the opportunity to finish their career where it all started. That is pretty exciting for me.”
“This move is bittersweet,” he added. “I’m very proud of what the players and assistant coaches have helped build here at Tonkawa. I hope our alumni, community, and Tonkawa campus are as proud of those accomplishments as I am. NOC Tonkawa will always have a special place in my heart, I wish the program nothing but success moving forward.”
NOC Athletic Director Alan Foster announced the hiring Wednesday afternoon.
“First I am really happy for Scott Mansfield and the opportunity at EPS that he was able to secure,” Foster said. “I know it was a career goal of his and I am excited to see him put his brand on the EPS programs.”
“When the position opened at NOC Enid, I anticipated some high-quality candidates to express interest,” he said. “When coach Bay approached me about his interest, I was caught a little off guard but then when you realize his coaching career started with Jets baseball and with his ties to (former Jets) coach Raydon Leaton and (former assistant Jets coach and now) NOC Enid Vice President Jeremy Hise, the move made a lot of sense. I am pleased that NOC’s administration was able to work through this process.”
“I have known coach Bay for 20 years and worked with him on two different occasions. I think he is one the best baseball coaches I know. My job as athletic director is to try and hire the best people to lead our programs,” he added. “I am confident that he can continue the great tradition of success that is associated with Jet baseball and am excited to have him continue to work for NOC.”
“We will also do our diligence to hire the best coach for NOC Tonkawa we can find,” he added.
Before NOC Tonkawa, Bay also coached at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Bacone College, and Williams Woods University.
Bay played at Missouri Valley College where he was a four-year starter and two-time All-Conference performer in the Heart of America Conference. During his junior year, he led the conference in stolen bases with 39. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1999 from Missouri Valley College and earned a Master of Education degree from NWOSU in 2002.
Coach Bay and his wife of 24 years, Denise, have a 20-year-old son, Bryer.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
-30-