SFCC Coach Jud Kindle Receives Diamond Nine Award

 State Fair Community College (SFCC) head baseball coach Jud Kindle was recognized for his contributions to baseball as a student-athlete and coach with the Diamond Nine Award at the Wilson Logistics Arena in Springfield.

The award is given to "former All-State baseball and softball players from Missouri high schools, colleges and the pros, or who made positive contributions to the game," according to a release from the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

"I was blessed to have the opportunity to play for great coaches and mentors like Ross Dey, Jeff Mays, Coach Dave Van Horn and Coach Keith Guttin during my career," said Kindle. "I had the opportunity to coach some outstanding players and work with great assistant coaches throughout my career. This award would not be possible without all of them. I would also like to thank State Fair Community College and Athletic Director Darren Pannier for the opportunity they gave me nine years ago to lead the baseball program. I also have to thank my family for their continuous support throughout my journey as a player and coach."

Kindle is in his ninth year at SFCC and has earned 224 career wins as head coach of the Roadrunners since the program was reinstated in 2017. He has helped more than 57 former Roadrunner student-athletes continue their academic and athletic careers at four-year institutions.

"Coach Kindle is very deserving of this award," said SFCC Athletic Director Darren Pannier. "He is not only a coach, but also a mentor to all the student-athletes he has coached. Coach Kindle not only teaches the game of baseball but also teaches life lessons that go beyond the field. We are honored to have Coach Kindle leading our baseball program at State Fair Community College and congratulate him on this outstanding honor."

Kindle brought a wealth of coaching experience to SFCC. He began his coaching career at Missouri State University in Springfield as an assistant in 2004–05. He later served as head coach of the Chillicothe Mudcats in the MINK League, a collegiate summer league, in 2008.

From 2009 to 2015, he coached and managed the Sedalia Bombers, also a MINK League team.

As a player, Kindle began his collegiate career at Crowder College, where he graduated with an Associate of Arts in 2002. He earned NBC All-American honors as a sophomore and received the James Payne Academic Award. He was inducted into the Crowder College Hall of Fame in 2012. He later transferred to the University of Arkansas and then to Missouri State University, where he concluded his playing career and was named Missouri Valley Conference First-Team Catcher of the Year in 2004.

He played minor league baseball for the Ozark Ducks in Ozark, Mo., in 2004 and the Evansville Otters in Evansville, Ind., in 2005.

Kindle graduated from Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia and earned All-State honors as a catcher in 2000. He holds a bachelor's degree in physical education (2005) and a master's in health promotion and wellness management (2008), both from Missouri State University.

David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics