Head Coach: Brian Raabe
Former Major Leaguer Brian Raabe, will be in his second season at the helm of the Royals baseball program in 2013. His first season in 2012 was full of team and individual successes. Raabe led the Royals to their first MIAC playoff berth since 2000 and helped junior Matt Rowley become an All-American and the MIAC Most Valuable Player. In addition seniors Jay Slick and Buddy Flaherty were named to the All-MIAC team. The Royals were one of the top hitting teams in the MIAC all season long, finishing with a .308 batting average, while hitting the second most home runs (17). Raabe’s knowledge, passion and energy has the Royals baseball program on the rise.
Raabe came to Bethel after a highly successful 11-year run as the head coach at Forest Lake High School. During his time at the reins, the Forest Lake squad became one of the state's top perennial contenders in Class AAA, making three consecutive trips to the state tournament. Coach Raabe helped develop 49 players from Forest Lake who went on to play college baseball. Coach Raabe is recognized as an excellent teacher of fundamentals and is the lead hitting instructor for the Minnesota Twins Youth Training Academy.
Raabe spent ten seasons as a professional baseball player including parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues with the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies. The infielder was selected for many honors as a professional; in 1996 he earned the Triple-A batting title, he was a Topps All-Star in 1996-1997, and he also earned three different minor league All-Star honors. He also played for one year in Japan with the Seibu Lions before returning and playing in the Yankees system at AAA for the Columbus Clippers in 1999. During Raabe’s time he played under the tutelage of legendary managers Tom Kelly of the Twins, Lou Piniella of the Mariners, Don Baylor of the Rockies and Joe Torre with the Yankees.
Prior to his professional career, Raabe was a stand-out middle infielder for the University of Minnesota. At the U of M, Raabe was a four-year letter winner and member of the 1988 Big Ten Championship team. He was named an All-American in 1990 along with earning All-Big Ten honors and the Rod Carew scholarship award. Following his senior season the Minnesota Twins drafted Raabe in the 41st round of the amateur draft.
A New Ulm, Minn. native, Raabe currently resides in Forest Lake with his wife Valarie, daughter Brianna (16) and son Zach (13).
Assistant Head Coach/Pitching Coach: Tim Beasley
The 2013 season will be Coach Beasley’s second season as the pitching coach for the Royals. In his first season Beasley helped the Royals pitching staff make big improvements, leading the Royals into the MIAC playoffs. The Royals team ERA in 2012 was an improvement of nearly a full run from the previous year. His ability to teach mechanics and instill an attacking mindset helped the Royals pitchers finish 15th in all of NCAA DIII (364 teams ranked) in the category of fewest walks allowed at 2.56 in 2012, after ranking 280th in 2011 (4.68). Under Beasley’s guidance junior starting pitcher Matt Rowley and senior relief pitcher Buddy Flaherty were named to the All-MIAC team as they combined for a record of 11-6, with seven saves, and a 1.61 ERA in 117.1 innings pitched. Both earned MIAC Pitcher-of-the-Week honors during the 2012 season.
Beasley was previously the head coach at North Central University in Minneapolis. In three of his first four seasons as Head Coach at NCU, his team earned a spot in the National Christian College Athletic Association D-II World Series. He coached five NCCAA All-Americans, led his team to a new single season record for wins, and was named Region Coach of the Year twice as well.
Beasley is a graduate of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (’07) where he served as a student-assistant coach during his senior year after a lingering shoulder injury ended his playing days. He was a member of the Ragin’ Cajuns pitching staff from 2005-06. The Cajuns won the Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2005 and 2007 and were consistently ranked in the top 30 of the NCAA DI Collegiate Baseball Poll. His collegiate career began with a successful two-year stint at Iowa Western Community College (Council Bluffs, Iowa), where Beasley had a combined pitching record of 9-1 and was a two-time All-Region selection. From 2004-06 he pitched for the Alexandria (Minn.) Beetles of the Northwoods League. Ten of Coach Beasley’s former teammates have gone on to play in the Major Leagues.
Beasley also works for the Edina Baseball Association in the summer as a Roving Pitching Coordinator and an assistant coach on the Edina Legion team. In the summer of 2012 the Edina Legion team won the Minnesota State American Legion Baseball Tournament with a 43-8 overall record and Beasley’s pitchers posted a team ERA of 1.98 on the season. Beasley has helped fourteen Edina players continue on to play or sign with college baseball programs, including four at the NCAA DI level.
In addition to coaching at Bethel, Beasley is the Assistant Sports Information Director and handles SID duties for the Bethel men's and women's cross country, soccer, hockey and tennis teams. He resides in Maple Grove, Minn. with his wife Kati and daughter Rue (1).
Assistant Coach: Dan Richards
Assistant Coach Dan Richards is in his seventh season at his alma mater after a successful two-sport athletic career for the Royals. As a four-year starting first baseman, Richards earned the Most Respected Player award in 2001 and helped the Royals to the MIAC playoffs in 2000. Richards was also a tight end on Bethel’s 2000 and 2001 MIAC Champion football teams.
Richards was an assistant coach at Bethel in 2002-03 before assisting for one year at Gustavus Adolphus and then heading to Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. While with the NCAA Division II Vikings, Richards was an assistant for two years before serving as the head coach for two more. In 2009 he returned to Bethel as an Admissions Counselor in addition to coaching. He is the third base coach and oversees the outfielders, as well as assisting with the hitters.
Richards is a graduate of Bloomington Jefferson High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Bethel University, a master's degree in Education from Augustana, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Organizational Leadership at BU. He and his wife Meredith live in St. Paul.
Assistant Coach: Erik Lovdahl
Lovdahl joins the Bethel staff again as a pitching instructor. Lovdahl is a former professional pitcher with more than 14 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels. After a successful college pitching career at UW-River Falls, he posted a league-leading ERA in Class A during his first year as a pro. Lovdahl has been offered coaching duties in two professional leagues, and has been a guest speaker at various colleges, leagues, and organizations across Minnesota. Erik is considered one of the most productive pitching coaches in the region.
Lovdahl is currently a batting practice pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, Director of the MYAS Gopher State Pitching Camp, and Director of the Minnesota Twins Youth Spring Training Camps. He was previously the pitching coach at Bethel from 1999-2005.
Lovdahl and his wife Lisa have three children - a daughter Jessa, and twin boys, Bo and Nick, and live in Roseville.
Assistant Coach: Chris Dent
Chris Dent joins will be in his second year on the Bethel University coaching staff assisting with the pitchers. Dent was a pitcher for the Royals for three seasons, where he led the team in wins and appearances in 2011.
For the past four summers, the left-hander has pitched for the Stockmen's Irish in the Minnesota Class A Amatuer Baseball League, and helped the Irish win the State Championship in 2011. He graduated in the spring of 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.
Dent has a passion for the game and looks forward to helping the Royals JV pitching squad as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Assistant Coach: Herb Gibson
Herb Gibson was a former graduate of Hopkins Lindbergh, where he learned several coaching strategies and concepts from Coach Steve Alford. Gibson also played town baseball for the Hopkins Berries.
Gibson then went on to the Minnesota School of Business while working in family wholesale operation. He left his family's business at age 26 to begin his own operation. Gibson currently runs a regional sheet metal manufacturing business in Prairie Farm, Wisconsin.
Gibson has maintained a commitment to baseball over his lifetime, coaching youth baseball in Orono and Mahtomedi for 20 years. He also has been the president of Mahtomedi Youth Baseball for the past six years. Furthermore, Gibson has been an instructor for the Minnesota Twins Summer Training camps and a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). He has partnered in PHD baseball, a fall/winter baseball training academy as well.
Gibson lives in Mahtomedi and is father to three children ages 26,16, and 14.
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator: Rus Poser
Coach Poser is entering his second season as a member of the Bethel baseball coaching staff, serving as the first base coach and handling the catchers. Poser was previously the head coach of the Tri-City Red American Legion team. During his 3 seasons as the head coach, his teams amassed an 82-38 record. He also spent 5 years as an assistant on the Tri-City staff. Prior to college, Poser played locally for Irondale High School. He was a four year starter and a two year captain. From 97-99, Poser played for Tri-City Red. In 1999 Poser was a captain on the Tri-City team that won the American Legion World Series. During his three years the team had a record of 148-28 and made two World Series appearances.
Poser resides in Roseville with his wife Alex.
Assitant Coach: Bill Hargis
