Former Wildcats baseball star and assistant coach Casey Powell has joined the Linfield University staff as assistant director of athletics for facilities, Linfield director of athletics Scott Brosius announced on Wednesday.
 
The moment he was offered the job, the 1997 Linfield graduate was quick to embrace the opportunity.
 
"When Scott contacted me about this job, (the decision to join the staff) was a no-brainer," said Powell. "I'm really excited and looking forward to working with him and seeing where the athletic department is headed. I want to be here to help Scott realize his vision for Linfield Athletics but I also want to be available and ready to help every program in any way I can."
 
He said his appointment was met with instant approval among his closest family members.
 
"It's like coming home," Powell said of his return to his alma mater. "I'm an alum, my wife (Jen) and one of my younger brothers (Ryan) are alums, and my dad (Clyde) was an assistant football coach here."
 
Brosius is equally as excited to have Powell accept is invitation to join the athletics administrative staff. Linfield's newly appointed AD zeroed in on Powell early in the search process as he sought a replacement for Doug Hire, who retired after 20 years in the position.
 
"Casey's history as a student-athlete here at Linfield, as a head baseball coach in the Northwest Conference, and in his former role as Director of Facilities make him a perfect fit. Casey will take the baton from Doug Hire and oversee all facilities, work study, and game management operations."
 
As Brosius noted, Powell's past coaching and administrative experiences are varied, from coaching baseball at the Division I and Division III levels, to leading a national team program, to directing a summer league team in his hometown of Bend, Oregon.
 
Powell lettered four years in baseball as a student-athlete at Linfield. Playing second base, he hit .405 and added 17 stolen bases as a junior, earning Northwest Conference Player of the Year honors that season. The following year, he hit .397 from the leadoff position on the way to receiving another first team all-NWC honor. 
 
After graduation, Powell launched his career as an assistant under retired Linfield Hall of Fame coach Scott Carnahan for three years from 1999 until 2002. The following spring, he landed in Walla Walla, Washington, taking the reins of the Whitman College baseball program for six seasons from 2003 to 2006. Powell then seized an opportunity to elevate to the Division I level three years later as an assistant in the Seattle University baseball program for four years from 2009 until 2013. From there, he gravitated back to Central Oregon, eventually taking over as general manager of the Bend Elks baseball club.
 
Additionally, he filled a seasonal coaching role with USA Baseball in 2019 and served as director of athletic facilities at Pacific University for two years in 2017 and 2018.
 
Most recently, Powell has focused raising his family while running his own small business. He and his wife Jen, a 1996 Linfield graduate and former Wildcats track and field athlete, are raising two daughters. Morgan, 19, is a sophomore at the University of Oregon. Cailyn, 16, is a junior at Summit High School.
 
As the primary manager of Linfield's athletic and recreational facilities, Powell looks forward to not only enhancing day-to-day operations within the Health, Human Performance and Athletics department, but also contributing to several big-picture facilities projects that loom on the horizon.
 
"I know there are some ideas in mind in terms of redoing and upgrading some of the more important facilities," he said. "There are projects down the road that I know will get alumni and people really excited."