Coaching Staff

The Viking baseball program has been reborn under Luke Johnson and his coaching staff. The fourth-year head coach has guided his club from the bottom slot in the league to a team that is competitive with the best the nation has to offer. Need some proof? In three seasons, Johnson’s teams have eclipsed the programs win total from the previous six seasons combined. During that time the Vikings have beaten teams ranked in the top 25 nationally, played winning baseball (.571 winning percentage) against scholarship opponents, defeated NCAA Division I competitors, and have appeared in the CCIW Tournament. Additionally Johnson has had nine players named to the All CCIW squad, three players voted to the Rawlings/ABCA All Central Region team, and had three players sign contracts with NCAA/MLB affiliated summer leagues.

How do these players stack up to the all time greats at North Park? During the short time of Johnson’s watch, an amazing 24 players have seen their names etched in the Viking record books. Sixty-eight slots are held by Johnson’s players for career records, along with 65 slots in the single season book. The 2007 North Park “Male Sportsperson of the Year” award was also garnered by a Viking baseball player. For his efforts, Johnson earned the CCIW “Coach of the Year” award in his first season as a head college baseball coach (2006).

The accolades for his teams aren’t strictly baseball related, however. The Vikings have also seen an equally impressive elevation in their academic performance. Their team grade point average has steadily risen over the last three seasons. This hard work has culminated with 15 Academic All-CCIW team members, one prestigious CCIW “Jack Swartz” academic award winner, and a still more impressive ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.

“Our focus is simple to articulate and tough to do. We want to create and maintain an environment that values success on every level. I think this mentality has clearly become a source of pride for our program. It’s exciting watching results oriented thinking take hold. Philosophically, that’s what our approach boils down to,” states Johnson.

Johnson’s background in the CCIW is something he can lean on to get the job done. He served four seasons as an assistant at conference rivals Elmhurst College (2002) and North Central College (2003-2005).

In his three years at North Central and one year at Elmhurst, Johnson served as the hitting coach. As an assistant, he helped produce four All-CCIW first team players, four All-CCIW second team players, three Rawlings/ABCA All-Central Region members, one CCIW batting champion, and four CCIW offensive statistical leaders. At Elmhurst, he also helped develop one future All-American position player who went onto sign with the San Francisco Giants.

“We want our guys leaving here as better players, and I think our track record shows that they are. I know our guys appreciate the work that our staff puts into teaching the game. We coach our guys the way we wanted to be coached, with intensity, enthusiasm, and attention to detail. Our players and staff understand that patience in the process is an essential component of success. As long as we keep getting better results in this system, our players should have all the confidence in the world in their own abilities, work habits, and the program. The great thing is that our players have an overriding feeling that they have just scratched the surface of what they can accomplish.” Johnson said.

A Mendota, Illinois native, Johnson has also held coaching positions with two elite baseball organizations. In 2005 and 2006, Johnson held positions with USA Baseball as a Trials Coach for the Youth National Team. The National Team trials process whittles the best prospects in the nation down from roughly 5,000 at the Junior Olympic Tournament, to a Trials Team of 36, to 18 players who represent the nation at the world championship. The 2006 National Team went on to win the Gold medal over the likes of Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico in the COPABE/ Pan Am Championships. In 2004 he served as an assistant for the Holyoke Giants of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The NECBL is an NCAA sanctioned wood bat college summer league that receives funding from Major League Baseball in order to identify and develop amateur talent.

As a player at Elmhurst, Johnson was the former NCAA record holder for consecutive times reaching base safely (all divisions), earned both All-CCIW First Team and Rawlings/ABCA All- Central Region honors as an outfielder, as well as a two-time Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-Region honors as a student. Johnson still holds places in the career record book in a number of Elmhurst career and single season offensive categories.

Johnson earned a B.A. in Secondary Physical Education and Health from Elmhurst, and a M.A. in Leadership Studies from North Central. He resides in Addison with his wife Kelli and their son Jacob.

Steve Hardman enters his third season in the Viking dugout after serving for four years as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at conference rival North Central College. Along the way, Hardman has accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time.

“In Steve Hardman, our pitchers get a coach who is truly an outstanding teacher of the game. Steve has a proven track record of success as pitching coach in the CCIW. Having the type of professional and Division I experience that he has speaks volumes about his background. He is a self made man, and his intensity and personal dedication are exactly what we preach to our players every day. Steve is a baseball guy, but he’s a baseball guy who has the discipline to live his life the way he teaches the game. That builds credibility and instills confidence”, states head coach Luke Johnson.

Hardman’s has developed a bevy of top notch pitchers over the last four years. He has worked with three Rawlings ABCA All Central Region players, one ALL-CCIW first teamer, three ALL-CCIW second teamers, one CCIW statistical leader, and two pitchers who have signed contracts in NCAA sanctioned summer leagues. Additionally, four of his pitchers have been named to Collegiate Baseball’s Division III “Players to Watch” list. He has spent the last two summers as the head coach of the Glen Ellyn Jam, a member of the Chicago Metro-Collegiate Summer League. The Metro-Collegiate is a wood bat league that is comprised of college eligible players from all divisions. His 2006 team was the runner-up in the prestigious AAABC tournament this past summer in Johnstown Pennsylvania, garnering notice from Baseball America magazine.

“Steve has made a calling card out of squeezing every last amount of ability out of his pitching staff. He takes individual development as seriously as I do, and as truly another head coach on staff. His past success is the result of nothing more than hard work and a belief in himself. I know he will help instill this in our players, and I am excited that he will play a big part in moving our program forward,” Johnson says.

Hardman’s playing experience is just as impressive. He began his career going 9-1 as a freshman at Division III Loras College, earning First team all Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first team status, as well as the IIAC newcomer of the year award in 1997. He then transferred to Illinois Valley Community College, where he was a first team all conference pitcher in the Arrowhead Conference, a National Junior College Athletic Association Region IV first team selection, and a Rawlings/ABCA All-American in 1999. He finished his career at Division I Northern Illinois University where he was a standout pitcher for the Huskies. After earning a B.A. in history at NIU the spring of 2001, he signed with the Cook County Cheetahs of the independent Frontier League. He went on to pitch professionally for the Rockford River Hawks and the Kenosha Mammoths, also members of the Frontier League.

Hardman earned an M.A. in Liberal Studies from North Central in 2005. He is the Athletic Admission Recruiter in the North Park Office of Admissions. He and his wife, Sarah reside in Chicago.

Malone enters his first year with the Vikings. He will assist with the Viking infielders, outfielders, and hitters. He brings an extensive college and seven-year professional background to utilize.

“Billy is a guy I played with and against, and I have the utmost respect for him as a baseball guy,” Johnson said. “As a player, he defined the hard-nosed style we strive for and it will be easy for him to convey this to our guys.”

Malone played collegiately at the College of DuPage, where he was a 2000 NJCAA All- American infielder. He transferred to NAIA Robert Morris in 2001 where he was a starting shortstop and a 20th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Malone spent a year in the Dodgers’ system as an infielder and outfielder. In 2001, he was a member of the Great Falls Dodgers in the class A Pioneer League. In 2002, he played for the Gary South Shore Railcats (Northern League) as a third basemen. He hit a solid .262 with 13 doubles, six triples, and three home runs. A year later, he split a season between the Railcats and the North Shore Spirit (CanAm League), where he was managed by MLB alum Rich Gedman. Malone hit .333 for the Spirit. In 2004 Malone was back in the Northern League with the Kalamazoo Kings and the Schaumburg Flyers. In 2005, Malone was with an All Star outfielder with the Yuma Scorpions (Golden League) where he hit .307 with 14 doubles, five triples, and 11 home runs. He also drove in 45 runs and stole 19 bases. Malone shared Golden League All Star honors with MLB Hall of Famer Rick Henderson. Malone was again an All Star in 2006 for Yuma, hitting at a .266 clip with 20 doubles, three triples, and five home runs. He drove in 46 runs while stealing 20 bases. He finished his playing career with the Schaumburg Flyers in 2007 where he hit 15 doubles, one triple, and seven home runs, while swiping 20 bases.

Malone, who has worked as a private instructor for the Chicago White Sox Academy since 2002, has coached at the collegiate level from 2007-2008 at the College of DuPage. He’s helped numerous players move on to the four-year level.

“I’m happy to have Billy because his knowledge base is broad. He played almost every position at the professional level, and will provide some added perspective in terms of our base running and overall defensive plan. His future is in college baseball and I know he’s excited to get started,” Johnson said.

John Wagle is in his first season as an assistant with the Vikings. He will work with the Viking infielders and outfielders, and will assist in hitting instruction. Wagle’s College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin pedigree is superb and it will serve him well at North Park.

“John will do a great job with us. He’s a young coach with a future, and hopefully he can spread his wings with us. His playing record speaks for itself. He’s played in NCAA tournaments and has been ultra successful. From an opponents’ perspective, in watching him go about his business for the last four years, I know he gets what we’re about,” said fifth-year head coach Luke Johnson. 

Wagle graduated in 2009 from CCIW rival Augustana, earning degrees in physics and business management while carrying a 3.42 GPA. He is also a recipient of the NCAA’s prestigious post-graduate scholarship. Wagle is completing his MBA at Loyola University. His name is firmly planted in the Augustana baseball record book. An NCAA Division III All-American in 2008 and a pre-season All-American selection in 2009 by D3baseball.com, John was also a two-time Rawlings/ABCA All-Region first team member, as well as a three-time All-CCIW first team selection.

He holds Augustana’s career school record for runs-batted-in (154) and the single season school marks for home runs (11 in 2008) and RBI (60 in 2008).Wagle also appears on the top-ten list in nine career offensive categories. In addition to his record-setting RBI total, he is second in at-bats (653), hits (243) and triples (12), third in doubles (43), fifth in home runs (17) and runs scored (142), and eighth in batting average (.372) and stolen bases (38).

Wagle has signed a professional contract as a middle infielder with the San Angelo Colts of the Independent United League. He’ll be managed by 51 year professional dugout veteran and former Cleveland Indians manager Doc Edwards. 

“John has shown a real desire to make baseball a career. It’s gratifying when very good opponents think enough of your program to want to be a part of it. We plan on utilizing John in every way we can”, said Johnson