ALLENDALE, Mich. – Grand Valley State softball head coach, Dana Callihan, has announced the hiring of Ryan Schalk as a part-time assistant for the 2022 season. Schalk, who graduated from GVSU in 2004, has 12 years of collegiate coaching experience including the 2017 season with the Lakers.
 
Schalk rejoins the Lakers after three years at the University of Toledo, where he helped the Rockets to their first MAC Tournament Championship in school history. Under his guise, Dayna Denner earned 2021 MAC Player of the Year honors. He also spent the 2018 season as head coach of Alverno College in Wisconsin.
 
"Ryan is highly knowledgeable of the game of softball. He relates well to the players and has a true passion for teaching and coaching. He's back in the area and we are extremely fortunate to have him back on our staff," Callihan said.
 
In addition to collegiate coaching, Schalk has been an instructor at softball camps across the country since 2011. His collegiate coaching career began as the assistant coach of Muskegon Community College in 2009 before he was promoted to head coach for the 2014 season, where he remained until his first coaching stint with the Lakers in 2017. His 2016 team won the MCCAA State Championship and reached a national ranking as high as No. 9.
 
Schalk joins Callihan, Jen Rivera and Aaron Daldos on the Lakers' coaching staff for the 2022 season. He has a bachelor's degree in physical education from GVSU and a master's from Toledo.