Klein steps in as North Callaway girls basketball head coach

Andrew Klein will be the next head girl’s basketball coach at North Callaway High School. 

Klein was announced as the new head coach in a news release on Thursday morning. He has been the head volleyball coach for the past three seasons, coaching many of the athletes that will play for him, and has been an assistant with the boys program the previous two seasons.

North Callaway’s girls basketball program has been progressing recently under Tim Turlington, who led the Ladybirds to a 15-12 season a year ago for their first winning season in six years.

“I’m very fortunate to take over a good program,” Klein said. “It was left in good shape so I want to thank coach Turlington for leaving it in good shape. It is well-run and the girls played hard for him and they play hard for me.”

Despite this being his first year leading the Ladybirds, Klein has some experience coaching the team through summer shootouts this year. North Callaway was 7-2 this summer and noticed the quality of the upperclassmen leadership. The top two leading scorers from last season’s starting lineup Natalie Shryock and Riley Blevins and the top scorer off the bench Lakyn Hartley all just finished another volleyball season with Klein.

“Some of my volleyball players are playing basketball so we’re going to spend a lot of time together. Hopefully, they don’t get too tired of me,” Klein said, jokingly. “It’s exciting and really fun. Basketball has always been my first sport.”

Besides volleyball, Klein enters his fifth year of coaching basketball. Last season, he was an assistant coach for the North Callaway boys, who are coming off of their first district title in more than 20 years. Coach Klein is hoping to build off of the positive relationships he has built with the players and grow with this experienced team.

“I’m adjusting to it just fine because I coached basketball for the boys these past couple years and always have done summer basketball stuff,” Klein said. “I see the girls growing every day as young ladies and that’s important to me. I know I’m doing a good job if they are growing as people.”

Kleindienst coming home as North Callaway baseball head coach

The North Callaway School District will have a familiar face as the leader in the high school baseball dugout.

Kirt Kleindienst was announced as the next head baseball coach, according to a Thursday news release. This will be Kleindienst’s first year as a high school head baseball coach as he has assisted with the high school program over the past two seasons but is also a 2003 graduate of North Callaway, where he was a four-year starter and an all-conference and all-district player in three seasons for the Thunderbird.

“I am excited and blessed to have an opportunity to coach the game I love at the school where I learned to play,” Kleindienst said. “Now I have my sights set on instructing young athletes to compete; not only on the baseball field, but also all sports they participate in as well as in the classroom. A good baseball player can compete on any field, court, or in any classroom.”

After graduation from high school, Kleindienst played junior college baseball at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, where he had a .373 batting average and 12 RBI in 16 games played during the 20004-05 season, and Division 1 baseball at Eastern Kentucky University. He has been the head of the Callaway Crew Baseball Organization for the past eight years and has led 14-and-under and 11-and-under youth baseball teams during that time.. 

The Thunderbirds have improved in each of the past three seasons, finishing with their first winning season in four years with a 15-9 record last year under former head coach Zeth Lavy. 

Kleindienst is 39 years old and has a family, including the love of his life, Alecia, who has encouraged and supported his coaching endeavors while being the heart and soul of the family. Together they have four young athletes, all boys, in their home.

“I wouldn’t have the knowledge and confidence to pursue coaching the game I love without the guidance received from my wonderful parents, Randy and Christine Kleindienst,” Kleindienst said.