Story contributed by Warner University Athletics

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Warner (Fla.) head coach Jeff Sikes is in the midst of his 36^th season and currently stands No. 6 on the NAIA active baseball winningest coaches list. Visiting Grand View (Iowa) brings Lou Yacinich Sr. who stands No. 3 on the same list.
 
Lou Yacinich Sr. is a winning powerhouse at Grand View who is about to kick off his 46^th season. Yacinich starts his 46th year as Viking head baseball coach, compiling a 1,183-849 record (1,313-991 overall).  From 1971-76 Grand View competed at the junior college level, and Yacinich guided his teams to a state championship (1974) and two state runner-ups (1975,1976), with many team members going on to compete at major colleges and universities, some playing professionally.  Grand View teams claimed District 15 titles in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993; Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2012; Area Championships in 2001; 1st Round of National Championship in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014; and participated in NAIA World Series in 1984, 1985, 1991.  He received Coach of the Year District 15 in 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997; Midwest Collegiate Coach of the Year in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2010, 2012, 2015; Area 4 in 1984, 1985, 1991; and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1999.  In November 1994, he served as Trial Coach in Homestead, Fla., for selection of the 1996 USA Baseball Team.  He is a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, the Des Moines East High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the NAIA Baseball Hall of Fame, Grand View Athletic Hall of Fame, ABCA National Hall of Fame, and the NAIA Robert E. Smith Award. 
 
Speaking of the Grand View baseball players, Yacinich said, "It's a pleasure to be able to offer top-quality academic and athletic programs to so many high-caliber young men, and to watch them reap the rewards through individual hard work and dedication."  
 
Jeff Sikes is seven games into his 36^th season as head coach at Warner University and started the season at 1081-798. Under Coach Sikes, the Royals have made 11 Regional or Opening Round Appearances in their 25 years of eligibility. His teams have 1 Regional Championship and 4 Runner Up finishes. The 2001 version of the Royals won the Southeast Regional Championship, followed that up with a Super Regional Series win and then went on to the 2001 NAIA World Series, where they finished 5^th. In that 2001 Season Sikes earned NAIA Conference and Regional Coach of the Year honors, along with being voted the Florida Diamond Club Coach of the Year for all Divisions of College Baseball in the State of Florida. Warner University has been ranked in the NAIA National Polls in all or part of 13 seasons including a stretch of 10 years from 2000-2009 where they spent all but 5 weeks of the Decade ranked among the Top 25 teams in the Nation. 22 of his former players have gone on to play Professional Baseball, and 48 players have advanced to be High School, College, or Professional Coaches.
 
Coach Sikes began his Career 1 year after Graduating from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. in Business Administration. His early teams played in the Florida Christian College Conference winning five Conference Championships in 6 years of participation. Before his arrival the Royals had never won a Conference Championship. From 1989-1992 the Royals participate as members of the National Christian College Athletic Association, and 1992 qualified for the NCCAA World Series. The Royals have qualified for the NCCAA World Series three years in a row and have finished as National Champion Runner Up two years straight. For 3 of those years, Coach Sikes served as National Chair for the NCCAA. From 1992 through 2005 he also served as Conference Chair for NAIA's Florida Sun Conference. Warner University Athletic Teams always seek to honor Jesus with their play, and in 2010, Coach Sikes' team was presented with the Team Award by the Florida Collegiate Umpires Association as representative of showing the Best Sportsmanship among all Teams playing College Baseball in the State of Florida for that Season.
 
Coach Sikes and his wife Margie, live in Babson Park. They attend First Baptist Church of Lake Wales where they serve as Leaders of a Young Married Adults Bible Study Class. They have 3 children. Samuel, Hannah, and Rebekah. Coach Sikes loves Warner University and says, "The Lord has provided me with an opportunity to be able to do what I love at a place that I love. My Wife and I have been blessed to raise our Family in the best working atmosphere I could have ever hoped for. God Bless Warner University."
 
Sikes also said, "I'm excited to be the least experienced coach in these games. Coach Yacinich is the longest tenured coach in the NAIA and going strong."
 
Warner University and Grand View University Clash today in a double header with first pitch scheduled to be thrown at 3:00 p.m. in Lake Wales, Florida. The games will be stream live via the Royal Sports Network at https://portal.stretchinternet.com/warner/.