RYBNIK, Poland – Recently, one WKU baseball coaching alum has taken his talents overseas, with his latest stop being in Poland.
Tim Holmes was a volunteer assistant for the Tops from 2020-2022 and after his time on the Hill came to a close, he embarked on a journey across the world.
Holmes, a former New York Yankees minor league pitcher, received a call to play and coach in Vienna, Austria in 2024.
He would not only rock the mound, winning the Pitcher of the Year award, but that would kickstart his coaching journey.
After spending that winter in Australia for his next stop as a player-coach, Holmes was able to land the head coaching job in Poland with KS Silesia Rybnik, and halfway through his first season he shared his favorite part of being the man in charge.
“ That decision falling on my shoulders and either taking the credit or taking the blame for it, you know, I’ve really enjoyed the end game factor of being head coach and I haven’t done it at this level prior to coming here,” said Holmes. “Haven’t been a head coach at this level, but I really, really enjoy that aspect.”
The head coaching role wasn’t the only opportunity that arose for Holmes within the country, as he also spent some recent time serving on the coaching staff for the Polish national team.
Holmes and his Rybnik squad are currently tied for first in the Polish Ekstraliga, with the back half of the year still to come.
As he gets more games as head coach under his belt, he shared his goal is to not just win more, but to see his players continue to rise in their careers.
“ I’d really like to be able to put myself and put my players in a position to move them into colleges in America. To move them into, you know, advanced leagues, whether it be independent baseball in America or higher leagues throughout Europe, or send them to Australia or whatever that situation may be, wherever that falls,” said Holmes.