UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State University head softball coach Ryan Schalk will be enshrined in the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the coaching staff for the 2010 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Champion Muskegon Community College on Saturday, June 14.
"It's pretty cool to go into the hall of fame with the program that started my love for the game," stated Schalk. "I was able to learn from a great coach and great friend as well as win a national championship, coaching with my mother in only my second year coaching softball. A couple of my cousins are in the HOF as student-athletes, so to join them is a huge honor. Anyone who knows me knows that I've always been an advocate for the Muskegon area, and to go in the same year the Lumberjacks win a USHL championship and with a former Redwing is even better."
Schalk has used the experience at MCC to propel his success in coaching since the National Title season. Following his time with the Jayhawks, he has coached at the NCAA Division I level as an assistant at the University of Toledo, NCAA Division III as the head coach at Alverno College, and the NCAA Division II level at SVSU, taking the Championship experience with him to every stop.
"I've taken the experience of being a part of the championship team into everything I do as a coach. That team dedicated itself to studying the mental side of the game and learning how to be resilient when their backs were up against a wall. The team believed that no one could beat them, and they were never out of a game, even in the big moments. I've used a lot of the experiences from that team and tried to incorporate that kind of culture into the program here at SVSU," said Schalk. "Winning a National Championship and being the last team standing is such a special experience. I hope that I can share that experience with our student-athletes and staff at some point in the future."
Schalk completed his third year as the head coach at Saginaw Valley State, where he has accumulated a 123-53 overall record and a 53-20 conference mark. He led the Cardinals to the second-most wins in program history with 49, just one victory away from tying the program record and just the fifth time the team has reached 40 wins in a season.
The Cardinals won the most conference games in program history with a 23-5 mark, the first 20-win season in conference play. Schalk was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and has coached back-to-back GLIAC Pitchers of the Year with Macy Irelan this season and Emily Depew last season. Irelan and fellow pitcher Aalana Kimble became the first pair of Cardinal players to be selected as All-Americans in the same season with third team selections by the NFCA.
In addition to the GLIAC Coach of the Year award, Schalk and the SVSU softball coaching staff were named the 2025 ATEC/NFCA Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year. This was the first time the SVSU staff had received the honor.
The Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at The Fricano Place in Muskegon, Michigan, on June 14. The 2025 Hall of Fame Class will feature the 2010 Muskegon Community College Softball Team, Bob Heethius, Frank Lewandowski, and former Detroit Red Wing Justin Abdelkader.