Southwestern Christian University

Head Baseball Coach | Associate Vice President of Athletics and Admissions


Joe Blackwell enters his eleventh season as head coach of the Southwestern Christian University baseball program, having taken the helm prior to the 2015 season. A foundational figure in SCU baseball, Blackwell originally joined the staff during its inaugural 2014 campaign as associate head coach. He also serves the university as Associate Vice President of Athletics and Admissions.
Under Blackwell’s leadership, the Eagles have become a perennial powerhouse in the NCCAA, averaging 40 wins per season and earning nine consecutive trips to the NCCAA World Series. His teams have posted two 47-win campaigns, and in 2024, the Eagles captured the program’s first NCCAA National Championship, following runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2023.
SCU saw immediate progress in Blackwell’s first year, improving by 18 wins over the prior season and posting a .500 record at 26-26. In 2016, the program reached new heights with a 44-17 mark, a third-place finish in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC), and its first NCCAA World Series appearance. That year, Blackwell was honored as the NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year.
During his tenure, Blackwell has developed an impressive list of standout players, coaching 35 NCCAA All-Central Region selections, 36 All-SAC selections, and 27 NCCAA All-Americans, 2 NAIA All- Americans, 3 Players of the year, and 4 Pitchers of the Year.
Blackwell has been named as NCCAA Central Region Coach of the Year 5 times and NCCAA National Coach of the Year in 2024.  
Before arriving at SCU, Blackwell spent over a decade coaching elite-level travel and select teams across Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas. He also contributed five years to the baseball program at Tuttle High School. He holds certification from the National Federation of High School Coaches as an accredited interscholastic coach.
A native of Oklahoma City, Blackwell graduated from Moore High School and played collegiate at Rose State College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Southern Nazarene University and Masters Business Administrations from Concordia University.
Blackwell and his wife, Dana, have been married for 29 years. They have two children, Blake and his wife Kaley, Shelby and her husband Gage, and a grandson, Brixton.


2015: 26-26
2016: 44-17
2017: 40-25 (NCCAA Semifinals)
2018: 40-23
2019: 47-17 (Central Region Champions)
2021: 47-13 (NCCAA National Runner Up)
2022: 28-27
2023: 37-22 (NCCAA National Runner Up)
2024: 33-24 (NCCAA National Champions)
2025: 33-18 (Central Region Champions)
 
Overall: 375-212 (.638)