Kimball started his 16-year coaching career at the four-year college level, first at his alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado, as a hitting and outfield coach for 2 years. Following his stint with UNC, he then spent 3 years at Southern Illinois University. Kimball officially donned a coach’s jersey for the first time in the “Grand Canyon State,” when he moved to Phoenix and promptly became the first varsity baseball coach in Westwind Preparatory Academy history. Kimball’s name would indelibly be etched in Westwind’s record book, since he led them to their first-ever baseball wins in his lone season there. He followed that up by overseeing the Verrado High School varsity baseball program the following year. When that season ended in late spring, Kimball headed East to Massachusetts, for a summer, as an assistant coach (under Mike Roberts, father of former Orioles’ infielder Brian Roberts) of the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League. Where he worked with some of the top college talent from across the nation. Including current major leaguers Jason Kipnis (Cleveland) and Drew Storen (Kansas City).
That’s when Kimball crossed paths with current Gateway Head Baseball Coach Rob Shabansky, who invited him to come back to the college coaching level as the Geckos’ Associate Head Baseball Coach. Kimball spent a pair of seasons in the Geckos’ dugout, helping them clinch the top seed in the Region I Division II Playoffs in his last season. Kimball’s success at GWCC drew the interest of the Bears, who offered their open head baseball coaching job to Kimball in the summer of 2010, and the rest-as they say-is history. Kimball has led the Bears to a pair of Region I Playoff berths in his first 5 years, and it was fitting that Kimball’s first trip back to the postseason as the Bears’ Head Coach pitted him against his old team, Gateway, in the 2013 Region I Semis.
