The 2026 season will mark John Vodenlich’s 23rd season at the helm of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater program and his 25th season overall as an NCAA Div. III head coach. 
Vodenlich took over the UW-Whitewater program prior to the 2004 season following two seasons as head coach at nearby Edgewood College in Wisconsin. In 22 seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has compiled a 806-275-1 record, becoming the winningest coach in Whitewater baseball history while boasting one of the highest win percentages among NCAA Div. III coaches. 
Under Vodenlich, the Warhawks have advanced to the NCAA Div. III College World Series seven times during their 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, capturing national titles in 2005 2014 and 2025 earning their skipper ABCA National Coach of the Year honors all three years. His Warhawk teams have won 16 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championships, with Vodenlich earning WIAC Coach of the Year honors 12 times. 
A six-time ABCA Regional Coach of the Year, Vodenlich been honored three times as the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA) College Coach of the Year and was named the 2005 WBCA Man of the Year. In 2015, he became the youngest inductee into the WBCA Hall of Fame. He has also been inducted into the Racine County Sports Hall of Fame (2019) and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame (2007) as a former student-athlete. 
Vodenlich has been a featured clinician across the globe. In addition to being a featured clinician at the 2014 ABCA Convention, he has conducted coaching clinics in Germany, England, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary. He is a member of the International Sports Group Board of Directors. Prior to being named the seventh head coach in UW-Whitewater history. 
Before joining the coaching ranks, Vodenlich starred for the Warhawks from 1989- 92. He finished his collegiate career with a .397 career batting average, good for third in school history. His .456 average in 1991 is the third-best single-season average in program history. He became the first two-time All-American in UW-Whitewater history, receiving the honor in 1991 and 1992. Following his collegiate career, Vodenlich went on to play professionally in Europe, winning the Slovenian National Championship in 1994. He currently serves as the coach of the Serbia National team.

Petr Stribrcky, Toronto Blue Jays

Stribrcky, a native of the Czech Republic, is in his ninth season coaching with the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He currently serves as a Position Coach with the Vancouver Canadians (A). Before joining Canadians, he was in the same role with the Dunedin Blue Jays in Florida State League (1F). Prior that he served as a Hitting Coach in the Dominican Summer League for three years, during which the team posted a league leading 38-19 record in 2021. Prior joining the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2018, Stribrcky held various coaching positions across Europe. He holds a Master’s Degree in Physical Education, with his thesis focusing on Speed Development in Baseball.

Vince Maiocco became the Taft College head baseball coach in the summer of 2004 after being a Taft College assistant coach and working under former head coach Tony Thompson from 2001 to 2004. In 2018 he guided the Cougars to their first NorCal postseason playoff appearance since 1992, ending a 26-year playoff drought. With their 11-3 NorCal Wildcard Playoff win vs Los Medanos College, it marked the first Taft College baseball postseason victory in over 30 years. The Cougars finished 2018 winning 10 of their last 12 regular games to get their deserved at-large playoff bid. The Cougars ended up losing their NorCal Regional matchup to the eventual 2018 California State Champions San Joaquin Delta College.

In 2019 the Cougars made the NorCal Playoffs as an automatic qualifier, finishing only one game behind CVC Champion Fresno City College. They were eliminated in two very close games against eventual Final Four participant, Sacramento City College.  With the Cougars making the NorCal Playoffs in both 2018 & 2019 it marked the first time that Taft College made the California State Baseball Playoffs in back-to-back years since the mid-1980's.

In 2024 the Cougars returned to the postseason by finishing in 3^rd place in the CVC to garner an automatic-bid into the CCCAA NorCal Playoffs. During the 2024 season the Cougars took the season series, winning 3 of the 4 games against the 2024 CVC Champion Fresno City College and traditional CVC power College of the Sequoias. This marked the first time in program history that Taft College defeated both Fresno and Sequoias 3 times each in the same season.

In 2009, the Cougars posted a 24-19-1 record, which marked the program’s first winning season since 1994.  The 2010 and 2011 teams both finished with a 22-14 record; this marked the first time the Cougars had 3-consectutive winning years since the mid 1980’s.  Also, in 2015 the Cougars posted a 21-15 record. The Cougars finished both the 2011 and 2015 seasons as NorCal’s #17 ranked team. 

Coach Maiocco had extensive head coaching experience prior to coming to Taft College. He was the head coach at College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California from 1992-1998. He served as an assistant coach from 1988-1992 to California Community College Hall of Fame coach, Dennis DeRoss at College of the Siskiyous. He also played for Coach DeRoss from 1982-1983. Coach Maiocco served as the head coach of the Humboldt Crabs summer collegiate baseball club from 1993-1995 in Arcata, California.

Coach Maiocco also coached at the high school level as well, serving as the varsity coach at Delano High School in 2000, 1994-1986 Corning High School and in 1987 Orland High School in Northern California.

Maiocco's wife Tami is the Director of Athletics at Bakersfield High School. They have two daughters Mary and Laurynn along with a granddaughter, Genevieve.