Collinsville High School athletics announced alumni Brett Swip is the new head coach of the Kahok Softball program.
Brett Swip has been a mainstay in the softball and baseball community in the region as co-founder of the Extreme Baseball & Softball Club and alum of the Kahok baseball and golf programs.
After college, Swip became a collegiate coach for three NCAA programs: Truman State University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Webster University before moving back to Collinsville to open Turn2 Sports Training.
Swip brings a great vision for Kahok Softball according Collinsville High School athletic director Darin Lee said.
“Brett is a proven winner with much success at the collegiate level. He is a very detailed and organized person who has been a Kahok his whole life. CHS Athletics is excited about what Brett can do for Kahok Softball and our entire athletic program,” Lee said.
Becoming a part of the athletics team at Collinsville is exciting according to Swip.
“I’m extremely excited to be a part of CHS athletics and to lead the future of the Kahok softball program,” Swip said.
“Kahok softball has a rich history dating back to the late 80s. As head coach, I am motivated to bridge the past to the future of Kahok softball and to again bring ball-
diamond success to the purple and white,” he said.
A native of Collinsville, Swip completed his collegiate coaching career as the Head Softball Coach at Webster University. In two seasons, Swip lead the Gorloks to success, while breaking national offensive numbers during his time with the team.
In his last season, the Gorloks won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 15-1 record and won the SLIAC Tournament with a 3-0 record, advancing the Gorloks to the NCAA Regional Tournament for the first time in five years.
Swip was named SLIAC Coach of the Year and had eight players named SLIAC All-Conference including Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year, he has also had three athletes named NFCA All-Region.
Prior to Webster University, Swip was the Assistant Coach at Washington University in St. Louis for 5 seasons.
According to Swip, in his final year at Wash U, the Bears complied a 47-3 record and reached the pinnacle of the Division III softball, a #1 ranking for six weeks straight.
Swip joined the college-coaching scene as the Assistant Coach at Truman State University.
During his season at Truman State, the Bulldogs finished 48-10 with a 2nd place finish in the
NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament, only losing to national champion, University of Nebraska-Omaha.
“I am grateful to (CHS principal) Mr. Snider, Coach Lee and the Board of Education for their candidness regarding the opportunity and their instinct to develop a short-term and long-term plan for the program,” Swip said.
According to Swip, he is ready to get back to work with the program.
“I am thankful for what Kahok softball has done for our Collinsville community in the past and what it can do again in the future. It’s time to get to work,” he said.
“Brett is a great coach, but a better person. I was blessed to have his help when I was the head coach at CHS softball,” Pete Hoffman, former Head Softball Coach at Collinsville High School said.
“He is a proven winner and has so many supporters within the softball and baseball community. He’ll pour his heart and soul into this program and community! There are great days ahead for CHS,” Hoffman said.
Swip becomes the eighth head coach in program history at Collinsville.
“We have our work cut out for us in leading the future of CHS softball, but we have faith in what the system has developed in the past and what it can again in the future,” Swip said.
Swip plans on working closely with the middle school softball program to further develop the Kahok Softball program.
“We will focus on the love of the game, development in the system, synergy with the junior high program and other grass root efforts needed to breathe life back in to Kahok softball,” Swip said.
Swip attended Truman State University and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is married to Ashley Swip; they reside in Collinsville and have two sons, Will and JT.
Some of Swip’s past times include attending church at Saints Peter and Paul and Metro Community Church, watching Cardinal baseball, coaching his son’s Extreme baseball team, participating in many outdoor activities, watching his family play sports, and avoiding house projects.
“It’s exciting to be a part of the rich tradition that the Kahok program has and the community I am so familiar with,” Swip said.
“It will be fun to help the Kahoks compete in the Southwestern Conference, a great softball and baseball league,” Swip said.
