Falcons add LaComb, Winkler to baseball staff
8/31/2023 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
"I could not be more excited to announce that our Air Force Baseball family just got a little bit bigger," said Kazlausky. "Please help me in welcoming to America's Team, Coach Drew LaComb and his wife Kelsey, along with Coach Kyle Winkler, his wife Stephanie, and his daughter Kole.
"They have stepped up to the plate, quite literally, to help our program continue to achieve our mission to Fly, Fight, Win, and to Accelerate Change in the development of our future warfighters in our United States Air Force and Space Force."
LaComb enters the role of hitting coach and offensive coordinator for the Falcons, as he joins Air Force having previously served as the head coach of Regis University for four seasons. The Rangers were an impressive 87-77-1 during his tenure as skipper.
Regis continued its steady progression under LaComb in 2023 as the team reached the RMAC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2012, falling to nationally No. 1 ranked Colorado Mesa. The Rangers, who tied the school record for the longest winning streak (13) during the spring, finished the 2023 season with a 31-24 overall record and in third place in the RMAC regular season standings. The 2023 squad set the program record for runs scored (517) and saw first baseman Matt Marlow become the program's first All-American selection since 2018.
The year prior, LaComb was named the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2022 after leading the Rangers to the program's best regular season finish in the RMAC standings (2nd) since joining the conference in 1997. Regis posted a record of 27-24-1 overall and 20-12 in conference. The team had three players (Justin Kleinsorge, Colten Chase and Roger Riley) all earn All-Conference honors, while Kleinsorge went on to be named Second Team All-Region. Academically, the Rangers had 21 student-athletes earn RMAC academic recognition while the team won the 2021-22 RMAC Brechler Award for the highest team GPA in the conference (3.433).
In the spring of 2021, LaComb and the Regis University baseball team finished the season 21-19 with a 17-17 record inside of the RMAC. The team opened the season winning 10-straight games, which is now cemented as the best start in program history. Regis qualified for the RMAC Tournament where they matched up with three-seed University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. After falling to UCCS, RU's tournament hopes came to an end at the hands of #1 ranked Colorado Mesa University in the second game of the RMAC Tournament (double-elimination). During the regular season, Regis reached as high as sixth in the NCBWA South Central Regional Poll.
LaComb guided the Rangers to an 8-10 record overall during his first season, including a 4-0 record at home on account of a four-game sweep over Northern State from Feb. 28-March 1. Additionally, 11 student-athletes made the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) All-Academic Honor Roll under his watch.
Prior to taking the helm at Regis, he served as an assistant coach for three years at RU. During his first two years, LaComb helped the Rangers secure three All-Conference, one All-Region, and one national Gold Glove selection. He has helped coach nine additional All-Conference players.
Before being an assistant coach, LaComb was a standout player at RU (2014-16), bolstering a career batting average of .361, which ranks 18th all-time in Rangers baseball history. In addition, he was a coach at the Catalyst Baseball Club, located in Golden, Colo., and an instructor at the Las Vegas Baseball Academy in Las Vegas, Nev.
LaComb spent two seasons at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz., before joining Regis. He was named captain of the MCC team that won the NJCAA Division II National title in 2014 with a 52-13 record.
He will be accompanied by his wife Kelsey to Colorado Springs.
Winkler, an accomplished hurler for the TCU Horned Frogs, will assume the role of pitching coach for the Falcons.
The former right-hander helped oversee a Horned Frogs pitching staff that was instrumental in guiding TCU to a trip to the College World Series in 2023, finishing as a national semifinalist. Winkler, assigned the role of bullpen coach in 2023, contributed to the efforts of five TCU relievers to post sub-3.00 ERA's in the spring. The Horned Frogs managed a team ERA of 4.64, the third-best mark in the Big XII and 46th among 295 Division I programs.
Winkler returned to Fort Worth in 2022 as the volunteer assistant. He also served as a student assistant for the 2019 campaign while completing his undergraduate degree.
Upon his return to TCU, Winkler was tasked with guiding the pitching corps. The group produced four draft picks while two (Luke Savage and River Ridings) were invited to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Five members of the TCU pitching staff were drafted in the summer of 2023, including two (Ryan Vanderhei and Cam Brown) in the 10th round.
In his first stint on campus, Winkler served as the bullpen coach during the 2019 campaign. TCU put together a 34-28 record and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Fayetteville (Arkansas) Regional. He helped in mentoring 1st-round draft pick Nick Lodolo to an All-American season.
Winkler also spent two seasons at Incarnate Word. Prior to the unexpected shutdown of the 2020 season, the Cardinals were off to a 9-7 start and had a team ERA of 4.75. The 2021 season saw the Cardinal finish with a 21-28 record. His staff produced a 2.01 K:BB ratio.
Winkler was a standout on the baseball field in his three years at TCU. A 2011 All-American, Winkler was twice an All-Mountain West Conference performer in addition to earning a spot on the 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Five times in his career, he was voted the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week. Following his junior campaign, Winkler was drafted in the 10th round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
As a freshman in 2009, Winkler was a key contributor in a starting role on TCU's first-ever NCAA Super Regional team. He made 14 starts as part of 17 appearances and boasted a 7-1 record to go along with a 4.15 ERA in 73 2/3 innings pitched.
In 2010, Winkler spearheaded an impressive starting rotation in helping the Horned Frogs to their first-ever College World Series appearance. In 19 starts, he posted a 12-3 record with a 3.39 ERA. Winkler was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the Austin Super Regional, holding Texas to just five hits in 7 2/3 innings of work.
His final season at TCU saw him make 14 appearances, 13 starts, and boast a miniscule 1.39 ERA in 90 2/3 innings pitched. He posted a career-high 99 strikeouts and put up an 8-2 record.
For his career, Winkler was 27-6 in 50 appearances. He tossed five complete games and amassed 239 strikeouts in 281 innings of work. Winkler had a career ERA of 2.95.
Winkler spent seven seasons in professional baseball playing in the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays' organizations. He made 20 starts as part of 215 career appearances on the mound. In 352 innings pitched, Winkler fanned 345 batters and boasted an ERA of 4.50.
Winkler will be joined by his wife, Stephanie, and daughter, Kole.
