Kevin Tidey is in his 14th season at the helm of the Davenport baseball team and is entering his 17th campaign with the program having served as an assistant from 2009-2011. He has been a member of the coaching staff for the entire existence of DU baseball.
In 13 years at the helm, Tidey has compiled a 444-233 record and has earned two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships which came in 2021 and 2022. He also had one Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference regular season and two tournament championships in the NAIA. The program also made four straight appearances in the NAIA National Championship from 2014-17. The Panthers made it to the NCAA Regional for the first time in 2021 and hosted the 2022 NCAA Sub-Regional. Tidey was named GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
The 2024 season marked the first time in his career that the team did not finish above .500 overall at 20-34. They were also 13-17 in the GLIAC which was fourth place out of six schools. The team got it done in the classroom and was awarded the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. Five Panthers were also recognized as CSC Academic All-District including Anthony Aloisio, Josh Robinson, Carson Fischer, Connor Hnilo, and Michael Tchavdarov. Fischer and Robinson were also named First Team All-GLIAC.
The 2023 season saw a 27-win campaign and finish over .500 for the 12th straight season under Tidey at Davenport. The Panthers finished second in the GLIAC regular season with a 20-10 record and 10 different players were recognized by the GLIAC. Tyler McKinstry was named GLIAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year becoming the first Panther to earn that award. Ben Mets, Gaetano Vallone, and Spencer Vainavicz were named First Team All-GLIAC, while Vallone and Vainavicz were also named all-region. The team could not three-peat in the GLIAC Tournament going 1-2 in the postseason held in Lansing, Mich.
The 2022 season proved to be a challenge since the Panthers had a target on them after winning the 2021 GLIAC regular season and tournament titles and advancing to the NCAA Regional finals. The Panthers went 36-23 overall and were 18-6 in the GLIAC for their second consecutive conference championship. The season started out 1-5 but the team battled back including three straight wins in the regular season against eventual regional champ Quincy on the road. The squad finished the regular season with six straight wins to clinch the GLIAC title and then had to battle back in the GLIAC Tournament after losing the opening game to Purdue Northwest. They beat Saginaw Valley State, Northwood, and Wayne State to reach the championship round against upstart Purdue Northwest on their home turf in Gary, Ind. The Panthers captured the title with a 6-4 and 2-1 win on May 15. The team hosted the NCAA regional for the first time and lost to Quincy twice while also eliminating Northwood.
The 2021 season was one of the best in his tenure at Davenport. The Panthers went 33-16 and won the GLIAC regular season and tournament titles. They also made it to the NCAA Regional championship game against Trevecca Nazarene and forced an if-necessary game. The Panthers opened the season with two wins against No. 3 Central Missouri on the road. They also beat Trevecca Nazarene twice in the regular season to end a three-game weekend series in Nashville, Tennessee. DU went 19-9 in the GLIAC and won their final 10 games in the conference to claim the title. They then went 4-0 in the GLIAC Tournament in Lansing, Michigan outscoring their opponents, 34-8, to claim their first tournament crown. After dropping the first game of the regional to host Lindenwood, the Panthers won their next three games including wins over Northwood (16-1), Quincy (22-13), and Trevecca Nazarene (6-2). In the championship game, DU trailed 9-1 in the third inning and battled all the way back to tie the game at 9-9 in the seventh inning. TNU scored two runs in the eighth inning for the 11-9 win.
The Panthers were off to a hot start to begin the 2020 season before COVID-19 halted their season at 13-2 overall. The team was ranked 22nd in NCAA Division II when the season ended. DU led the nation with a .382 batting average and scoring at 11.8 runs per game.
In 2019, the Panthers compiled another 30-win season under Tidey finishing 32-18. The team finished fourth in the GLIAC standings with a 16-11 record. The team won 15 of their last 20 conference contests to end the season and then won a pair of games in the GLIAC Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. The offense had one of the best seasons in school history. DU set single-season records for slugging percentage (.507) and home runs (52). Tidey coached 10 all-GLIAC performers including First Team selections in Jacob Buchberger, Nolan Bryant and Travis Harvey. Buchberger was also named GLIAC Player of the Year and was a Third Team All-American in three different organizations.
The Panthers entered the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and played an NCAA Division II schedule beginning in 2018. It did not stop the program from achieving big things as they placed second in the GLIAC regular season just one game behind Northwood University. They also were runner-up in the GLIAC Tournament hosted in Detroit and finished with a 33-19 overall record. It did not take long for the Panthers to earn their first top 10 win over an NCAA DII opponent. On March 2, the Panthers defeated No. 7 Minnesota State-Mankato 10-8. On April 27, Grant Wolfram became the first DU pitcher in five years to toss a no-hitter against Ashland as the Panthers took all four games of the series. DU extended their win streak to eight games with four wins against Purdue Northwest heading into the GLIAC Tournament. The Panthers lost their opening game against GVSU, but battled back with three straight wins including a walk-off grand slam by Jacob Buchberger in the 12th inning against Ashland on May 13. Wolfram was selected by the Texas Rangers in the MLB Draft at season's end marking three straight years that a Panther was drafted.
The 2017 season was another banner year as the Panthers finished 43-17 overall and 26-6 in the WHAC. Davenport finished second in the regular season and were runner-up in the conference tournament. The team had an incredible 20-1 record at home including their final eight games at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex. They had a 3-0 win over No. 15 Kaiser on March 4. They also beat No. 19 Indiana Tech twice. The Panthers won three games in the WHAC Tournament and dropped two against No. 7 Northwestern Ohio on their home field. Davenport won two games in the NAIA Opening Round hosted by Bellevue. After an opening loss to No. 19 University of Science and Arts, they defeated Judson and Antelope Valley to stay alive. They ended the season with a 3-2 loss against No. 2 Bellevue. Jonathan Cheshire was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and sophomore pitcher Grant Wolfram was named Second Team All-American.
The 2016 season saw the Panthers finish second in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference two games behind Madonna. The team went 2-2 in the WHAC Tournament and also hosted the NAIA Opening Round. The Panthers won their first two games against #12 York, Neb. (4-2) and #2 Bellevue, Neb. (7-4). Bellevue then came back for 6-5 and 7-2 wins as DU finished runner-up. DU was one strike away from returning to Idaho and the NAIA World Series in the 6-5 loss against the Bruins. The Panthers received 62 votes in the final NAIA coaches poll at season's end. The season was capped off by four players being drafted in the MLB Amateur Draft. Brandon White was the first Panther ever selected in the draft going to the Atlanta Braves in the 13th round. Bryan Saucedo was selected in the 14th round by the Chicago White Sox. Corbin Clouse was snagged in the 27th round by the Atlanta Braves. NAIA First Team All-American Travis Bolin was picked in the 32nd round by the Texas Rangers. Bolin was also named WHAC Player of the Year while Matt Priebe and Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle were both named First Team All-WHAC.
The 2015 season saw the baseball program reach new heights, including a 51-win season along with setting a new program record 24-game win streak. While clinching the second WHAC Tournament championship, the Panthers hosted the NAIA National Opening Round and went 3-1 to punch a ticket to the NAIA World Series for the first time in program history.
The 2014 squad started the tradition of making the national postseason by winning both the WHAC regular-season and tournament titles. The Panthers made their first ever appearance in the NAIA National Championship that year where they traveled to Santa Clarita, Calif., for the Opening Round.
As head coach, Tidey has produced thee WHAC Players of the Year (Michael Allen in 2013, Brendan Bender in 2015, Travis Bolin in 2016) and a WHAC Pitcher of the Year (Corey Murphy in 2014).
Tidey served as an assistant at DU for three seasons under head coach Wes Cummings before taking the reins in 2012. He also served on the coaching staff at Sparta High School, where he helped build the Spartans program into one of the best programs in West Michigan.
At Sparta, his teams won four district titles, one regional championship and made one appearance in the quarterfinals. Tidey compiled a record of 66-11 in his last two seasons with the Spartans as they were ranked in the Top 5 in Division II each season.
Tidey's playing experience goes back to Grand Rapids J.C. and Aquinas College where he received all-conference and all-region honors at GRJC.
Tidey resides in Caledonia, Mich. He has four children: Cade and triplets Brock, Jaeger and Presley.
Coach Kevin Tidey's Davenport Record
| Year |
Wins |
Losses |
Pct. |
Conf Finish |
Nat'l Tournament |
| 2024 |
20 |
34 |
.370 |
4th (GLIAC) |
None |
| 2023 |
27 |
26 |
.509 |
2nd (GLIAC) |
None |
| 2022 |
36 |
23 |
.610 |
1st (GLIAC) |
Regional Host |
| 2021 |
33 |
16 |
.673 |
1st (GLIAC) |
Regional Championship Game |
| 2020 |
13 |
2 |
.867 |
COVID-19 |
COVID-19 |
| 2019 |
32 |
18 |
.640 |
4th (GLIAC) |
Not Eligible |
| 2018 |
33 |
19 |
.634 |
2nd (GLIAC) |
Not Eligible |
| 2017 |
43 |
17 |
.717 |
2nd (WHAC) |
Opening Round (NAIA) |
| 2016 |
43 |
17 |
.717 |
2nd (WHAC) |
Opening Round (NAIA) |
| 2015 |
51 |
12 |
.810 |
2nd (WHAC) |
World Series (NAIA) |
| 2014 |
42 |
17 |
.711 |
1st (WHAC) |
Opening Round (NAIA) |
| 2013 |
36 |
14 |
.720 |
2nd (WHAC) |
-- |
| 2012 |
35 |
18 |
.660 |
2nd (WHAC) |
-- |
| Total |
444 |
233 |
.656 |
|
|
