Reiver Baseball Headlines Hall of Fame Class of 2025
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - Former Reiver Baseball Head Coach Marc Rardin and the 2012 National Championship baseball team, along with longtime supporter and Iowa Western Board Member Matt Johnson, are this year's Iowa Western Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees.
The 2025 class was chosen by the Reivers Hall of Fame Committee and will be officially inducted at the September 26th banquet in the Iowa Western Student Center. The event will begin at 6:30 pm and tickets are $25. The inductees will also be recognized the following day at the Reivers' home football game versus Iowa Central.
2025 Iowa Western Hall of Fame Inductees
Marc Rardin, Head Baseball Coach - The winningest coach in Iowa Western history, Marc Rardin, spent 20 years at the helm of the Reiver Baseball program and etched his name into JUCO history. Coach Rardin compiled a record of 934-252 (an astonishing .788 winning percentage), 12 trips to the NJCAA JUCO World Series, and 16 regular-season ICCAC Region 11 Conference titles with his teams reaching the pinnacle of JUCO baseball three times: 2010, 2012, and 2014.
During his time in Council Bluffs, no other Division I junior college baseball program won more games or more postseason championships (regionals, districts, and JUCO World Series) than Iowa Western, notching a total of 30 postseason titles combined. In 168 post-season games, the Reivers were victors 75% of the time. Coach Rardin also accumulated 455 wins to only 69 losses in regular-season conference and conference tournament play.
Seven players earned NJCAA national honors for performance under Coach Rardin. Doug Kroll was named the 2008 Junior College Player of the Year, and Sean Chandler was named the 2018 Junior College Pitcher of the Year. Vicente Cafaro, Ivan Hartle, Sam Bumpers, Ronald Sweeny III, and Benjamin Palmer all earned Rawlings Gold Gloves for their outstanding performances in the field as Reivers.
Under Coach Rardin, Iowa Western Baseball saw 141 NCAA Division 1 signees, 101 ICCAC All-Region 1st team athletes, 21 NJCAA All-Americans, and 58 NJCAA All-Academic student-athletes. Additionally, three of Coach Rardin's former players reached the NCAA D1 Men's College World Series in Omaha, and seven made their Major League Baseball debuts.
A 2015 NJCAA Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee, Coach Rardin owns a record of 30-20 at the JUCO World Series and became the 18th active NJCAA baseball coach to reach 900 career victories. Following his time at IWCC, Coach Rardin moved on to Western Kentucky University and is in his third season, where he took the Hilltoppers to their first NCAA Regional since 2009 and won the Conference USA Championship for the first time in program history.
2012 Baseball Team - The 2012 Iowa Western Baseball team capped off its incredible season by winning the program's second JUCO World Series Title. After starting the season with a blistering 44-1 record, the Reivers dropped just three other regular-season games, en route to a 62-6 record and the 14th appearance at the JUCO World Series in program history.
In Grand Junction, Iowa Western fell to San Jacinto College-North 5-2 in their opening game, but bounced back to defeat Spartanburg Methodist and Western Nevada 4-1 and 6-4. The team then went on a tear, run-ruling Neosho County 14-1 and Gordon State 10-0 to set up a rematch against San Jac. The Reivers and Gators battled to the ninth inning when IWCC plated a pair in the top of the inning and closed it out in the final frame to win 6-5.
Iseha Conklin, Tanner Krietemeier, Levi Meyer, and Keaton Steele were named to the All-Tournament Team, with Steele earning Tournament MVP honors. 16 players from the team would sign to play at NCAA Division 1 schools, while six would eventually be drafted into Major League Baseball.
Matt Johnson, Contributor - A 1991 graduate of Iowa Western, Matt Johnson has been an athletics sponsor for 25 years, with his restaurant, Barley's Bar and Grill, sponsoring Reiver tailgates by providing food and drinks at Iowa Western football and basketball games. Named Iowa Western's Outstanding Alum in 2015, Johnson has also served on Iowa Western's Board of Trustees since 2021 and chaired the Iowa Western Black Tie Harvest for Scholarships in 2023 while co-chairing the 2022 event.
Johnson's athletic career may not have been as storied as some members of the Hall, but he does hold intramural championships as an Iowa Western student in both basketball and flag football, marking the height of his athletic prowess.
A prominent community member, Johnson has served on the Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau board since July of 2017 and is a member of both the National Restaurant Association and Iowa Restaurant Association Board of Directors, serving as its president of the latter since 2017.
You can RSVP to the banquet by contacting Jill Feigenbutz at jfeigenbutz@iwcc.edu.