ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland baseball Head Coach Jordon Banfield announced Mark Henkel and Dan Rutan have joined the staff as a Volunteer Assistant Coach and Volunteer Director of Operations respectively. Henkel comes to Oakland from Madonna where he served as an Assistant Coach. Rutan will transition into his role after a four-year pitching career for the Golden Grizzlies.
 
"I'm excited about the additions to our staff for the 2021-22 season and confident that both will have a positive impact on our student-athletes in all aspects of their lives," said Banfield.
 
"Mark brings a wealth of knowledge to the program as both a coach and former professional player. He will work with our outfielders, assist with the offense and coach first base on game days," added Banfield. Additionally, as a retired police officer, I'm looking forward to him providing a different perspective for our student-athletes as we continue to strive to produce winning people in our program."
 
Prior to Oakland, Henkel was an Assistant Coach at Madonna University (2015-2017) where he coached the outfielders and assisted with the offense helping lead the Crusaders to a Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) regular season and tournament title and two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) World Series appearances.
 
Prior to Madonna, Henkel coached at Wayne State University where he served as a bench and bullpen coach, base running, and catching instructor. During this time, he also helped train the 2011 Division II Defensive Player of the year, catcher Mike Wiseman. Additionally, Henkel helped develop five players to play professional baseball including Anthony Bass who is currently a member of the Florida Marlins.
 
Henkel also spent time as a personal baseball instructor and an Assistant Coach for the varsity baseball team at Huron High School in Ann Arbor Mich. He coached twelve all-district players as well as one all-state player while helping lead the 2006 squad to a district and regional title.
 
Prior to his coaching career, Henkel gained professional baseball experience spending time in the minor league systems of the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles along with the Mexican Professional Leagues.
 
Henkel attended Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif. where he played baseball and is a member of
the school's hall of fame. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Siena Heights in Mich. and is a member of the
Michigan and Ohio High School Coaches Association, Buck O'Neil Scout and Coaches Association and the American Baseball Coaches Association.


 
"I tell all of our student-athletes who want to get into coaching, that your time as a player is your interview. Dan could not have embraced that process more in the last year," said Banfield. "He's mature beyond his years, detail-oriented and will provide tremendous value to the program from an organizational perspective while gaining valuable knowledge and experience for his personal future."
 
Rutan made 39 appearances recording 37 strikeouts in 62.2 innings of work on the mound during his four-year career on the Oakland baseball team and was named team co-captain for the 2021 season as a senior. Rutan was also a three-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and four-year Horizon League Honor Roll selection with 3.65 career GPA. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing with a minor in Business Analytics in 2021 and will be pursuing a Master's in Business Administration.
 
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