After a thorough national search, Baker University has named Andy Kelley as the next head coach of the Wildcat women’s basketball program, Director of Athletics Susan Decker announced on Friday.
“We are thrilled to welcome Andy back to Baker as the leader of our women’s basketball program,” said Decker. “He understands what makes Baker special, and his proven track record of building a successful program made him an ideal choice to lead our team. The success he achieved at Saint Mary speaks for itself, and we are excited about the vision, energy and championship mindset he brings as he returns to guide our program forward.”
As a 2014 Baker graduate, Kelley returns to Baldwin City after spending the past five seasons as head coach at nearby University of Saint Mary, where he became the team’s winningest coach and ushered the Spires through their most successful stretch in program history.
Since taking over the program in 2021, Kelley led Saint Mary to its first KCAC Tournament Championship in 2023 and guided the Spires to three NAIA National Tournament appearances in the past four seasons (2023, 2024, and 2026), the only trips in program history.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited to be named the next head women’s basketball coach at Baker University,” Kelley said. “Baker has been home to me since I arrived on campus as a student in 2010, and this is an opportunity I’ve dreamed about for many years. I was fortunate to join the staff in 2014 and quickly fell in love with every aspect of this program.”
During Kelley’s tenure, the Spires produced three 20-win seasons, including back-to-back program-record campaigns with 21 wins in 2022-23 and 25 victories the following season. He coached a total of 21 All-KCAC selections, including 2024 KCAC Player of the Year and NAIA All-American Tanea Sims, as well as Abby Wendte, who was the 2026 KCAC Freshman of the Year.
This past season, Saint Mary went 20-11 overall and 17-7 in KCAC play to return to the national postseason, where they fell to MidAmerica Nazarene in the NAIA First Round.
“I’m grateful to Rob Miller, Sister Diane Steele and the Saint Mary administration for the opportunity to lead that program over the past five seasons and for the remarkable things we were able to accomplish there,” Kelley added. “The same championship standards we built at Saint Mary are what I intend to bring back to Baker and a program that has historically proven to be one of the best in the Heart and the NAIA.”
Before turning around the USM program, Kelley spent a total of four seasons on the BU sidelines as an assistant coach, joining the staff in the summer of 2014. During his time in Baldwin City, the Wildcats compiled a 90-36 overall record and captured the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships in 2017.
The Wildcats also made three NAIA Tournament appearances during Kelley’s stint as an assistant, advancing to the Round of 16 twice (2015-16, 2016-17) and reaching the Fab Four while finishing as the national runner-up in 2016-17. Kelley helped coach four NAIA All-Americans along with 10 All-Heart selections, including a three-time conference Defensive Player of the Year (Macy Wallisch) and one conference Player of the Year (Kelsey Larson).
In addition to his work with the women’s basketball program, Kelley also served as the head men’s and women’s golf coach at Baker for three seasons. His teams combined for six tournament victories during that span, and he coached the 2021 Heart of America Women’s Golf Newcomer of the Year in Mia Tovkach.
As a player, Kelley was a standout member of the BU men’s golf team, earning First Team All-Heart honors three times during his collegiate career.
https://www.bakerwildcats.com/sports/wbkb/2025-26/releases/20260410movh61
Tagged with: NAIA
