AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific announces a new era in its baseball program as Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been appointed the eighth head coach in program history. Nieuwenhuis has served as an assistant for former head coach Paul Svagdis the past two seasons after retiring from Major League Baseball in 2019. The man known as "Captain Kirk" enjoyed a six-year career in the big leagues with the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, and Seattle Mariners.

"Kirk was coached and mentored by Paul Svagdis, one of the very best coaches and leaders we've had at Azusa Pacific," Director of Athletics Gary Pine said. "I'm confident in Kirk and the continued growth of our baseball program. He brings a wealth of knowledge to our program, as he has been among some of the game's best during his Major League playing career. Since he has returned to Azusa Pacific as an assistant coach these past few years, Kirk has proven that he has the ability and wisdom to communicate and share that knowledge with the young men in our program in a way that is impactful and influential. I am eager to watch the Cougars under Kirk's leadership."  

Nieuwenhuis was one of the best ever to play at APU on his way to the major leagues. He batted .373 over the course of his three seasons at Azusa Pacific and helped the Cougars reach the NAIA World Series in back-to-back seasons (2007, 2008). In 2008, Nieuwenhuis was selected to the NAIA All-American first team along with teammate and former assistant coach Matt Venegas. Nieuwenhuis then became the highest draft pick in Cougar history after he was drafted in the 3rd round (100th overall) by the New York Mets.

"I couldn't be more excited and thankful for Kirk's heart and desire to lead the Cougars," former coach Paul Svagdis said. "He is the perfect fit for the program. His big league experience along with his passion to mentor young people presents a dynamic combination of experience and leadership that will take the program to new levels!"

Coach Nieuwenhuis will take over a program that has won the PacWest Conference the past three seasons and won the PacWest AQ Pod Series last spring. The Cougars have made the NCAA postseason each of the last four seasons under Svagdis who finished his career as the winningest coach in the program's history.

"I think Kirk will bring his knowledge of baseball, and he loves APU," former teammate Stephen Vogt said. "That's all you can ask for. I truly believe that Kirk is the right man to take over for Coach Svagdis. He's going to continue to instill the character — he holds the same standards as Coach Svagdis — and be an example of a christ-centered program."

Formerly known as "Captain Kirk" during his playing days in the Big Apple, Nieuwenhuis is no stranger to playing with and against some of the best baseball players across the major leagues. As a Met, he played with players such as All-Star third baseman, David Wright, Cy Young Award winner, Jacob deGrom, and others like Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Daniel Murphy, Yoenis Cespedes and Curtis Granderson. While with the Brewers he had the chance to share the outfield with former MVP Ryan Braun.

"I was fortunate enough to play with a lot of really good players," Nieuwenhuis said, "One thing that I always tried to do is take something from them and learn from them. Hopefully I can pass that along. As much as I am looking forward to passing down some baseball stuff to these guys, I'm also looking forward to getting to know them and learning from them, too."

Nieuwenhuis and his wealth of baseball knowledge seems to be the perfect candidate to be the successor for his former coach. His quiet, professional and confident demeanor is one that speaks to his success on baseball's biggest stage. On July 12, 2015, he became the first ever Met to hit 3 home runs in a game at home. He also came up with a crucial pinch-hit game-winning home run in the 8th inning to complete a 6-run comeback against division foe, the Washington Nationals in a series that some say shaped the NL East in 2015. In that same season, Nieuwenhuis and the Mets went all the way to the World Series, eventually falling to the Kansas City Royals.

"I wouldn't have traded my three years of playing here for anything else and I loved the culture of the program," Nieuwenhuis said, "This program is special and Paul has done such a good job with teaching guys how to be men. (The more) I reflect on my time here, the guys I played with influenced me a ton and the friendships that I made through being here for three years influenced me a ton."

Azusa Pacific will look to continue its on-field success this season as it is in search of its fifth consecutive postseason berth. The Cougars will open their season with a doubleheader against Northwest Nazarene on February 4, 2022 at the Cougar Baseball Complex. They will then begin their quest for another PacWest title against Point Loma on Friday, February 25, 2022 in a road doubleheader.