Covington Catholic High School has a new baseball coach, the school announced Thursday afternoon.
John Michels, a graduate of Covington Catholic in the class of 1998, will be the next head coach of the Colonels’ varsity baseball program.
Michels replaces the legendary Bill Krumpelbeck, who spent the past 48 years as the Covington Catholic baseball coach, earning 1,149 wins, 22 district titles, 9 regional championships (1985, 1987, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2005), and a state championship in 2002.
Michels had a stint as the Covington Catholic freshman coach from 2002-2004 and compiled a regional title and a 48-13 record in that time. More recently, he was the Colonels’ junior varsity head coach, compiling a record of 408-144, 12 regional finals appearances and six regional championships in that role.
Michels played on Covington Catholic’s 1987 team, which won a regional championship and advanced to the state quarterfinals.
“It is a great honor to be named the new varsity baseball coach at Covington Catholic,” Michels said, according to a release from Covington Catholic. “CovCath Baseball means a lot to me ‒ because CovCath means a lot to me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to carry on our strong traditions while taking the program in a new direction. We will build a culture that expects to win, competes hard, and develops men of character. We will continue to embrace the spiritual, academic, and athletic standards that make this school so special.”
According to the release, more than 25 candidates applied for the job.
“We received a tremendous amount of interest in the position,” Athletic Director Tony Bacigalupo said. “After a thorough interview process, John Michels was the obvious choice due to his success on the field, loyalty to CCH, and most importantly, his relationships with players and alumni.”
Michels lives in Fort Wright with his wife, Emily. Their son, Drew, graduated from Covington Catholic in 2025. Michels serves as the president of Drew’s Puzzle Piece Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to autism awareness and support.
“Coach Michels represents the very best of CovCath ‒ humble leadership, competitive spirit, and a commitment to forming young men of character,” principal Bob Rowe said. “We’re proud to move into this new chapter with someone who knows our tradition and is ready to raise the bar.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Covington Catholic names alum as first new baseball coach in nearly 50 years
Reporting by Jack Schmelzinger, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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