OTTAWA, Kan. – Ottawa University head baseball coach Jonathan Freemyer has announced the promotion of Ethan Wilson to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2027 season.

Wilson enters his third season with the Braves after helping Ottawa compile a 77-30 record over the past two seasons while establishing one of the premier pitching staffs in the NAIA. In his expanded role as Associate Head Coach, Wilson will continue to oversee the Braves' pitching staff while assisting with the overall direction of the program.

"Ethan has earned this opportunity through his commitment to our student-athletes and the success of our program," said Freemyer. "Over the past two years, he has played a major role in helping us build a program that has won 77 games and developed one of the top pitching staffs in the country. His ability to develop pitchers, prepare our staff, and build meaningful relationships with our players has been instrumental to what we've accomplished. He is a tremendous coach, recruiter, and mentor, and I am excited to recognize his impact with this promotion."

"I am incredibly grateful to Coach Freemyer for believing in me and giving me this opportunity," said Wilson. "Ottawa University has become home for my family and me, and I am honored to continue serving our student-athletes in this new role. I'm proud of what we've accomplished over the past two seasons, but I believe our best baseball is still ahead of us. I'm excited to continue building a championship culture and helping our players reach their full potential on and off the field."

Under Wilson's guidance, Ottawa's pitching staff has become one of the NAIA's best. During the 2026 season, the Braves finished first nationally in opponent batting average (.235), second in shutouts (eight), 23rd in earned run average (4.72), and ranked among the nation's leaders in several other pitching categories.

The Braves also showed significant improvement during the 2025 campaign, ranking 33rd nationally in opponent batting average (.263) and 39th in earned run average (5.37) while continuing to build one of the conference's top pitching staffs.

Wilson joined Ottawa after serving on the coaching staff at Kansas Wesleyan University from 2022 to 2024. During his time with the Coyotes, he worked as a graduate assistant, pitching coach, recruiting coordinator, and varsity reserve head coach. Kansas Wesleyan captured the 2023 and 2024 KCAC regular season championships, earned three consecutive NAIA Opening Round appearances, and advanced to the 2024 NAIA Baseball World Series. Wilson also guided the KWU varsity reserve squad to the 2024 KCAC Championship.

Prior to his time at Kansas Wesleyan, Wilson interned at Thackerville High School during the summer of 2021, assisting with the football and baseball programs while also serving as the school's strength and conditioning coach.

Wilson enjoyed a successful collegiate playing career at Kansas Wesleyan, where he was a three-year member of the Coyote baseball program. In 2021, he tied the school record for appearances in a single season, and in 2022 posted a 3-1 record while throwing more than 40 innings.

Before transferring to Kansas Wesleyan, Wilson pitched for Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. During his two seasons with the Mavericks, he compiled a 9-1 record primarily as a relief pitcher, recorded a 3.91 earned run average, and threw more than 50 innings as a sophomore. NOC-Tonkawa finished ranked among the nation's top five teams in both of his seasons with the program.

Wilson earned a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in sports administration from Kansas Wesleyan University in May 2024 after completing his bachelor's degree in exercise science in May 2022. While at KWU, he was an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He received his Associate of Science degree from Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa in May 2019.