The Upper Iowa Athletics Department is happy to introduce five new full-time assistants that began their life as Peacock coaches this fall. The five new assistants are from three programs including baseball, football and wrestling.
Jake Ratz joins the baseball program and comes to UIU from Butler University in Indiana. Ratz is a Cedar Rapids, Iowa native that played his high school ball at Xavier High School.
The football program has three new faces this fall including
Chad Henning,
Tyquan Hammock and
Jordan Knock. Henning will coach the offensive line and comes to Fayette from Minnesota State University, Mankato where he lettered for four seasons with the Mavericks squad. Hammock is the defensive coordinator and will coach the secondary; he played in 36 games at Michigan State University and graduated as a Spartan in 2013. Knock grew up in Gilbert, Iowa and led the Grand View University Vikings as a quarterback twice earning Heart of America Offensive Player of the Year honors; he comes to UIU after coaching with the University of South Dakota last season.
Finally,
Josh Wenger has been tabbed as the top assistant wrestling coach on
Heath Grimm's staff. Wenger is a Cedar Rapids, Iowa product and earned a pair of NAIA National Championships at Grand View. He was also a four-time place winner at the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament.
Full bios for all five can be found below.
Jake Ratz – Assistant Coach - Baseball
Jake Ratz comes to Upper Iowa for his first season with the Peacock baseball program in 2020-21 as the assistant coach. Ratz comes to UIU from Butler University where he was an assistant coach last season.
Before his time in Indianapolis, Ind. at Butler, he worked with the hitters and outfielders at Iowa Western Community College. Prior to Iowa Western, Ratz coached at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa. Ratz spent two summers coaching with the Lakeshore Chinooks in the prestigious Northwoods League, one summer in the Prospect League with the Lafayette Aviators and one summer in the MINK League with the Joplin Outlaws as their Field Manager.
A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Ratz graduated from Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids ('10) before playing in Iowa Falls for Ellsworth CC. After earning his Associate's Degree with ECC, Ratz transferred to South Dakota State University where he was a part of the 2013 squad that won the Summit League Conference tournament and competed in the NCAA Baseball regionals in Eugene, Oregon. Ratz earned his Bachelor's Degree in sports management.
Chad Henning – Assistant Coach (OL) - Football
Chad Henning joins the Upper Iowa football coaching staff as an assistant coach. Henning comes from Minnesota State University, Mankato and will serve as the new Peacock offensive line coach.
At Minnesota State, Henning served as an assistant offensive line coach for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. He earned four letters on the offensive line with the Mavericks from 2007-10. During Henning's two seasons with Minnesota State, the Mavericks rushed for 7,591 yards and 96 touchdowns, including a school record 4,246 yards and 59 touchdowns in 2019.
Prior to his return to Minnesota State, Henning coached at Abundant Life/St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, Wis. In 2017, he served as the head coach and offensive coordinator. In 2016, he served as the defensive coordinator as the team went undefeated and won the state championship at the eight-man level.
A native of Su Prairie, Wis., Henning graduated from Minnesota State in the spring of 2011 with a degree in law enforcement.
Tyquan Hammock – Assistant Coach (DC) - Football
Tyquan Hammock enters his first season with the Peacocks as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Hammock spent the 2019 season at Northern Illinois University as a graduate assistant working with the linebackers and the 2018 season at Kentucky Christian University working with the defensive backs.
Hammock graduated from Michigan State University in 2013 after earning three letters in the Spartan football program. Hammock played in 36 games for Michigan State over three seasons registering 32 tackles including 14 solo stops and forcing a fumble. He also notched a pair of receptions for 45 yards and returned four kicks for 44 yards.
Tyquan and his wife Kenya have two daughters, Kyleigh and Sadie.
Jordan Knock – Assistant Coach (WR) - Football
Jordan Knock begins his first season in Peacock blue and white in 2020 after a pair of seasons as a graduate assistant with the University of South Dakota football program.
Knock will work with the Peacock receivers after completing his collegiate career in nearby Des Moines at Grand View University. Knock was a quarterback for the Vikings and twice earned Heart of America Offensive Player of the Year honors. Over two-plus seasons, Knock passed for 6,563 yards and 47 touchdowns, while rushing for 977 yards and 23 scores. As a senior, he ranked fifth in the nation in total offense and was NAIA's sixth-leading passer.
Knock attended Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Iowa and graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports management and business administration with a marketing concentration from Grand View.
Josh Wenger – Assistant Coach – Wrestling
Josh Wenger has been named as the assistant wrestling coach at Upper Iowa University heading into the 2020-21 season. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native comes to the Peacock wrestling program from Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa.
Wenger earned a pair of NAIA National Championships for the Vikings with one coming at 141 pounds and one at 149 pounds. He earned NAIA All-American and NWCA Scholar All-American honors three times each. Wenger was named a Heart of American Champion of Character in 2020 and scored a spot on the Amateur Wrestling News 2017 All-Rookie Team.
A graduate of Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Wenger was a four-time place winner at the Class 3A Iowa State Tournament including three fourth-place finishes and a title at 138 pounds in 2015.
Wenger earned a Bachelor's Degree in business administration and finance, as well as a Master's Degree in organizational leadership from Grand View.
