Bethel University Athletics

Brian Raabe enters his 15th season at the helm of the Bethel baseball program in 2025-26. The six-time minor league All-Star has led the Royals to the program's four NCAA tournament appearances.

AT BETHEL
• Holds a 354-187 (.654) career record
• MIAC regular season and playoff champions in 2022
• Led the Royals to their first ever MIAC Playoff Championship and NCAA Regional berth in 2018
• Four NCAA Tournament appearances (2018, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• Reached NCAA regional winner-take-all championship game in 2022 and 2023 
• MIAC Playoff Champions in 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2024
• MIAC Regular Season Champions in 2015, 2017 and 2022
• Led the Royals to their first regular season MIAC Championship in 2015
• MIAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2022 
• Six 30-plus win seasons and 12 20-plus win seasons
• MIAC Championship game appearances in seven of the last 11 playoffs
• 11 MIAC Playoff appearances
• Bethel's defense improved drastically under Coach Raabe, climbing from last place in the MIAC in 2011 (.934) to first in 2015 (.970).
• Posted the second-highest fielding percentage in the history of NCAA DIII baseball (.980) in 2017 and 2025
• Set a new MIAC record for fielding percentage (.985) in conference games in 2017
• Led the MIAC in fielding percentage and ranked in the top 10 nationally six times. .970 (2015), .980 (2017), .975 (2018), .968 (2019), .977 (2021), .972 (2022), .976 (2023), .977 (2024), .980 (2025)
• Bethel's offense led the MIAC in Home Runs (23) and Doubles (77) in 2018
• MIAC leaders in doubles (105), hits (518) and runs (385) in 2022
• MIAC leaders in runs (334), hits (439) and base on balls (198) in 2023
• MIAC leaders in double plays turned (32) and walks drawn (207) in 2024
• MIAC leaders in ERA (3.47), shutouts (7) and WHIP (1.36) in 2025

PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
• 39 All-Conference selections
• 21 ABCA/Rawlings All-Region honorees
• 20 D3baseball.com All-Region honorees
• 19 MIAC All-Defensive Team selections
• Matt Rowley named All-American and MIAC Most Valuable Player in 2012
• Two MIAC Rookie of the Year honorees
    • Esteban Velasco (2015)
    • Hayden Sperbeck (2025)
• Two MIAC Pitcher of the Year honorees
    • Joe Zorn (2015)
    • John Solfest (2024)
• Two catchers, Jay Slick ('12) and Mike Schultz ('15), signed professional contracts
• 11 players have played in the summer collegiate Northwoods League for five different franchises
• Three MIAC Elite 22 Award winners
    • Nik Anderson (2014)
    • Michael Bohlke (2017, 2018)
    • Matthew Carlsen (2022, 2023, 2024)
• Matt Rowley ('13) & Jake Marsh ('20) named a semi-finalist for the Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup
• Matthew Carlsen single-season leader in runs (56, 2022), hits (76, 2022), RBIs (57, 2022)
• 75 Academic All-Conference honorees

FOREST LAKE SUCCESS
• Turned the Forest Lake Rangers into one of the state's top perennial contenders in Class AAA in 11 seasons as head coach
• Made three consecutive trips to the state tournament (2009-2011) and four total (2001)
• Helped develop 49 players who went on to play college baseball

CLINICIAN
• Recognized as an excellent teacher of fundamentals and annually speaks at numerous clinics
• The lead hitting instructor for the Minnesota Twins Youth Training Academy
• Play Ball! Minnesota Ambassador for the Minnesota Twins Community Fund

PLAYING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Six-time minor league All-Star
• Won the Triple-A batting title (.351) in 1996
• Career professional batting average of .310, including .332 at Triple-A
• Played under legendary managers Tom Kelly (Minnesota), Lou Piniella (Seattle), Don Baylor (Colorado) and Joe Torre (New York Yankees)
• All-American and All-Big Ten at the University of Minnesota in 1990
• Won the Rod Carew scholarship award
• Member of 1989 Big Ten championship team
• Drafted in 41st round by the Minnesota Twins
• Played in Lions All-Star series in 1986 after senior year at New Ulm High School

PERSONAL LIFE
• Resides in Forest Lake with wife Valerie, daughter Brianna, and son Zach who plays baseball professionally
 

Last updated 8/14/2025

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT COACH RAABE

"I have known Brian for a long time, as I followed him from New Ulm to the University of Minnesota and throughout the big leagues. Brian had an exceptional amount of passion for the game and I believe he is in his element coaching in the dugout. I have the utmost respect for Brian and believe his tenacity and wisdom will have these players and this team heading in the right direction for years to come."
--Terry Ryan, former Minnesota Twins General Manager

"When you put the heart, mind, and desire together like Brian did, you can tell why he was the best player Phil Roof (former Twins AAA manager) ever coached. I never coached him, but I always respected him. I coached against him, but I always thought he was a player that you wanted on your team. He was always a team guy and he will take those great attributes and transfer them over to college - attributes that are necessary in a college setting. Brian Raabe is a coach that I would love my son to play for because he's going to be a quality person, he's not going to put himself above the team, he's not going to have the ego that does sometimes permeate baseball organizations. Brian is a good man."
-- Bill Springman, former Hitting Coordinator for Minnesota Twins and former college coach

"When I hear Brian talk about hitting, I think to myself that it could have been words out of my mouth. He knows hitting and how to teach coaches and players, I'm very impressed with how he teaches."
-- Harmon Killebrew

“Coach Raabe believed in me as a player and as a person.  Everyone needs that, whether in work, school, relationships, in all aspects of life. His passion for baseball is contagious and makes it much more exciting and fun to be a part of his team. I never imagined my experience at Bethel would have been so amazing.” 
-- Matt Rowley, 2012 MIAC MVP and Rawlings All-American