Purdue University baseball head coach Doug Schreiber addresses the crowd at the BPA World Series parade in downtown Warsaw in 2015. Schreiber stepped down as Purdue head coach after 18 years at the post. (File photo by Mike Deak)

WEST LAFAYETTE – Doug Schreiber has announced that he will be stepping down as Purdue’s head baseball coach at the conclusion of the 2016 season.

“I am grateful for the opportunity and support Morgan Burke and the administration have provided during my time as head baseball coach,” Schreiber said. “I am so proud of all the teams and players I have coached over the past 18 years: the teams that established a foundation of winning, the teams that fought hard and were close to greatness, the teams that struggled but never gave up, and certainly the 2012 team that was able to bring home a pair of Big Ten championships. That was a special year, and I remain driven to succeed on that level.

“I care very deeply about Purdue University, the baseball program, and all of the players, coaches, alumni, support staff and fans, and would like to thank all of them for making this such a great experience for me and my family. However, I am also looking forward to the future and excited at this time to pursue new challenges and other opportunities of interest.”

Schreiber, in his 18th season as head coach, has been a part of more Boilermaker baseball games than anyone in the program’s 129-year history. He played in a school-record 226 games as a four-year starting second baseman from 1983 to 1986 and has coached Purdue for 994 games with two games remaining this season. Schreiber is the winningest coach in school history with 484 victories, including 227 Big Ten Conference wins.

“Doug has represented Purdue University and our baseball program with class for more than 20 years, first as a student-athlete and later as head coach,” said senior associate athletics director Ed Howat, who oversees the program. “As our coach, he built the program into a consistent Big Ten Conference championship contender that was highly respected on a national level for playing the game the right way. I have enjoyed working with Doug and wish he and his wife, Sarah, all the best.”

Known for playing one of the nation’s toughest non-conference schedules, Schreiber’s overall record through his first 14 years as head coach was 425-362, including 207-185 in Big Ten games. In just his second season at the helm, he led the 2000 Boilermakers to 35 wins and a third-place finish in the Big Ten with a 17-11 record. Schreiber’s Boilermakers fell just one win shy of winning Big Ten regular-season championships in 2001 and 2005, both second-place finishes, and again in 2011, finishing third behind co-champions Illinois and Michigan State. His 2008 team also finished second in both the Big Ten regular-season and conference tournament, setting a school record with 21 conference wins.

Schreiber’s tenure was highlighted by a record-setting 2012 season during which the Boilermakers won their first Big Ten regular-season championship since 1909 and first-ever conference tournament title. They were selected to host an NCAA Tournament Regional as a No. 1 seed and finished the season with a program-record 45 wins. Schreiber was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

“When Doug was hired in 1998, our program was in need of stability at the top, and he provided that for 18 years,” athletics director Morgan Burke said. “He went on to have unparalleled success, capped by both a Big Ten regular-season championship and tournament championship in 2012. No one will ever forget that magical season. I appreciate Doug’s Boilermaker work ethic, discipline and loyalty.”

Schreiber has coached 62 All-Big Ten selections, including 22 who earned first team recognition, and has had 14 players named to All-Big Ten Tournament teams. Schreiber’s players have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on 32 occasions, and five of his players have played in the major leagues, including two in 2016 – catcher Kevin Plawecki with the New York Mets and pitcher Nick Wittgren with the Miami Marlins.

The Boilermakers earned 178 Academic All-Big Ten honors under Schreiber, including a high of 17 during the 2016 season.

A national search will begin for Schreiber’s replacement.