Brian Reinke has been the only baseball coach in UT Permian Basin history since their transition to the NCAA in 2006. In that time UTPB baseball has compiled 269 wins, while winning a Heartland Conference Championship in 2009 and trip to the NCAA Division II Regional and two conference Coach of the Year awards.
Reinke led the Falcons to fifth best in the Lone Star Conference in doubles (79), home runs (37), and slugging percentage (.453) in 2021. Garret Thornton, Nick Hernandez, Jay DeSoto, Jojo Allen, and Pemron Burrows led the way for the Falcons on the offensive side. Hernandez was a Second Team All-Conference selection while DeSoto and Allen were All-Conference Honorable Mentions. Tyler Stone was the anchor from the bullpen as he was an All-Conference Honorable Mention. During the season the Falcons knocked off No. 24 UT Tyler and won three times on a walk-off. Against Oklahoma Christian, DeSoto became the third player in program history to hit for the cycle
In 2020, Falcon baseball was in one of the best pitching seasons in program history before its season was cut short due to concerns with the COVID-19 outbreak. The staff combined to lead Division II in shutouts with five, and trailed only Duke and Georgia Southern in all the NCAA.? The Falcons finished 9-13 on the season, and ended the year with a four-game road sweep over Eastern New Mexico. The Falcons outscored the Greyhounds 25-6 over the series, shutting them out for the first three games of the series. The Falcons set a new program record with 24 consecutive shutout innings. In the season opener, the Falcons upset #15 West Texas A&M. The victory was the first over the Buffs in program history and the first win over a ranked opponent since 2015.
Trevor Berg was the cornerstone in the Falcon rotation as he tied for second in the LSC with four wins and he was tied for the LSC and national lead with three complete games and an LSC leading two shutouts. He finished the season with the third best K/BB ratio in program history at 4.7.
The Falcons returned to form in 2019, winning 20-plus games for the first time since 2015 and clinched a spot in the Lone Star Conference playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Falcons won their first Lone Star Conference series, their first LSC road series, and won more in conference series than they lost. The Falcons beat powerhouse Tarleton State for the first time in program history and split with Texas A&M - Kingsville for the first time. Several Falcons were honored after the season.
Skyler Palermo was named Second Team All-Conference. The senior led the team with a .310 batting average, 52 hits, 34 runs, 11 doubles, 33 RBI's and tied for the team lead with four home runs. Palermo was even better in conference play batting .349 with three home runs and 23 RBI's. He was also been clutch at the plate for the Falcons. In the team's home finale Palermo had a walk off single to lock in a spot in the Lone Star Conference Championships. In the season's final weekend, Palermo broke a 5-5 tie with Tarleton with a grand slam to left field to cap off an eight-run inning in the team's 15-7 win in the final regular season game. Palermo was also named Lone Star Conference Player of the Week on March 19 after a huge weekend against Tarleton.
Joining him was Pemron Burrows on the Second Team. The junior tied a school-record with 24 stolen bases, finishing third in the conference. Burrows hit .277 on the season with 43 hits and reached base at an incredible .449 percent of the time. He tied for the team lead with 34 walks and led the team with 15 hit by pitch.
William Bierlein earned a conference honorable mention ending the season swinging a hot bat with 12 RBI's the last two weekends of the year. The senior finished with a .283 average with 32 hits. Bierlein was second on the team in doubles with eight, home runs with three and RBI's with 29. In conference play, Bierlein was second on the team with 22 RBI's and led the team with seven doubles while swatting two home runs.
Tylor Frailey earned Gold Glove honors in the outfield. The senior spent the majority of the season patrolling left field, playing all 49 games without committing an error. The senior had three outfield assists in 87 chances while also playing some center field.
The 2011-14 seasons saw the Falcons slip to an 81-119 record before a bounce back year in 2015. That season the Falcons finished 30-15 and 19-8 in the Heartland Conference. Reinke was named Coach of the Year for the second time by the conference. David Lee was named Conference Player of the Year while four Falcons were named to the All-Conference First Team.
The Falcons finished the 2010 season with a 36-19 record in the regular season but got bounced in conference postseason play. After the season, catcher Evan Gattis would be selected in the 23rd round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Atlanta Braves and eventually win a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2017. That same season saw Gattis and teammate Felix Cardenas named to the All-Conference First Team and Travis Wilcox named Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year.
In 2009, Reinke led the Falcons to a school-record 39 wins and a 35-14 record in conference. The Falcons won the Heartland Conference championship with Reinke being named Heartland Conference Coach of the Year for the first time. Logan Forest was named conference Player of the Year and was named to the All-Conference First Team. He was joined by teammates Mario Urena, Chandler Goode, and Jeremy Miller on the All-Conference First Team. Three Falcons; Kyle Frets, Jordan Strode and Jack Wortley, earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.
Reinke started his college coaching career with a one-year stint at his Alma Mater, Augustana College. Following that, he moved on to Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, Colorado. Reinke served as an assistant coach at Trinidad State for four plus years before taking the position of interim head coach for one season. Reinke's record at TSJC was an impressive 44-14 during the 2000 season and won the NJCAA Region IX Championship. Reinke was also named the Region IX Coach of the Year in 2000. The 2000 Region IX Championship was the 5th year in a row that Trinidad won their region.
The 2001 season saw a change of venue for Reinke as he moved on to become the assistant coach up the road at Midland College for their inaugural season. While at Midland, Reinke helped guide the Chaps to a WJCAC Championship in 2002 and a Region V Championship appearance in 2003.
Reinke began his collegiate playing career at Morningside College in Sioux City, IA where he played one season. He then transferred to Augustana College, in Sioux Falls, SD where he was a three-year standout player. While a member of the Augustana Viking baseball team, Reinke set school records for batting average, walks in a season and career, RBI in a season and fielding percentage for a season and career. He earned first team All-North Central Conference recognition, first team Midwest Region and NCAA Division II All-American for the Vikings.
Reinke is a native of Larchwood, IA and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Augustana College. He is married to Leticia Gonzalez of San Jon, New Mexico. They have 4 children, Bianca, Brooke, Blayr, and Lincoln.
