John Leister
John Leister
Baseball Head Coach
Email Coach Leister
John Leister joined the Scots as head baseball coach at Alma College for the 1997 season. He led the Scots to the 1999 MIAA title, their first league title since 1987.
Leister arrived at Alma College in 1994 as an assistant football and assistant baseball coach. He also serves as the offensive coordinator for the Scots football team; his� renowned "Scotgun" offense has been consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally.Currently, he is serving the athletic department as athletic director while a national search is underway.
A three-year starter at quarterback for Michigan State University, Leister moved on to play professional football with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL and the Michigan Panthers of the USFL before pitching for the Boston Red Sox.
Leister is married to the former Michelle Olds '97. He has four children, Nicole, Jarrett, Hailey and Alyssa.
Judd Folske
Assistant Baseball Coach
Judd Folske joined the Maroon and Cream in the fall of 2005 after stops at NCAA Division I Central Michigan University, and stints at Div. II schools Saginaw Valley State University and Ferris State University. He also serves the athletic department as assistant athletic director.
While head coach of the CMU Chippewas, Folske posted a 131-98 mark. In 2000, he finished in a tie for first in the MAC conference with a record of 41-17 (18-8). Folske retired after the 2003 season at CMU, and went to work as an assistant at SVSU, where he worked in that capacity for two seasons.
Folske got his start in collegiate coaching by serving as an assistant at Ferris State University from 1970 through the 1983 season, after which he gained the head coaching post which he held until 1996. During his tenure at Ferris, Folske led the Bulldogs to a 239-305-5 mark, while posting a 122-54 record within the conference. Folske was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year seven times, and his 1992 squad set a GLIAC record with 22 conference wins.
Folske, who served six years in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and left with an Honorable Discharge, got his coaching start as the head football and baseball coach at Anchor Bay Catholic High School. He received his bachelor degree from Ferris State University in 1974, and earned a masters/specialist in Physical Education from CMU in 1976. Coach Folske and his wife, Monica, have two sons, Brett and James.
Mark Smoker
Assistant Baseball Coach
Mark Smoker joined the Alma College baseball coaching staff as a volunteer assistant in 2006 and will guide the junior varsity squad in 2007.Smoker was a walk-on pitcher at Ferris State University where he played under current Alma College assistant baseball coach and assistant athletic director Judd Folske. He made 10 appearances as a freshman and helped the Bulldogs capture three conference titles during his career.
He earned his B.S. in criminal justice and is a police officer with Central Michigan University. Smoker is also on the Board of Education for the Alma Public Schools. Smoker and his wife, Susan, have two daughters, Meghan and Maryssa.
