With Baker approaching 600th win in football, coach has another goal in mind

During Mike Grossner’s second year at Baker University, the program was approaching its 500th win. This season, he’ll get to experience No. 600.

Grossner, 52, is entering his 15th year of coaching at the school in Baldwin City, Kan. And he has done his share to make the Wildcats the NAIA’s second-all-time winningest football program — 599 victories to Missouri Valley’s 622.

This year’s preseason Heart of America conference South Division poll predicts Baker will finish ahead of Missouri Valley, followed by Evangel, MidAmerica Nazarene and Central Methodist.

Grossner always sets goals for his team, and getting that 600th victory seemed too easy for a squad that last year finished 10-2. So he is aiming for more.

“We want to go undefeated,” he said. “This last group of seniors won 46 football games. The team is used to winning.

“(This team) won 27 straight conference games at one point. That’s over two years of straight winning. They hadn’t lost until we went up to Missouri Valley and got nipped late in the season.”

Losing star quarterback Logan Brettell to an injury against Avila last October was tough, but it provided a chance for then-freshman Marco Aguinaga to gain some experience. Aguinaga passed for 1,035 yards in six games.

This season, Aguinaga and fellow sophomore from Texas Brandon Mueller, who saw limited action in 2017, will vie for the job.

Baker has just 32 upperclassmen on the roster this year.

“We have six seniors on defense, only one on offense,” Grossner said. “I think we are very talented offensively. I think this is the fastest offensive team we have had in a long time ... I think our overall speed with this crew is really good.”

Running back JD Woods, a Lawrence native, is back after gaining 1,618 yards and 25 touchdowns on 235 carries last season. Also returning from injury is senior back Cornell Brown.

Grossner is excited to see how far Baker can progress this season and into the postseason. The football tradition in Baldwin City remains strong.

“I think how we were able to sustain and grow as a program was from good coaches who have stayed,” Grossner said. “With that, our culture has been set quite a while.

“I think we have good experience of understanding winning: We always want to win all of our home games, make the playoffs, make the championships … It’s all about tradition and consistency.”