Rick Rembielak, a three-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year who has compiled more than 500 career wins at Wake Forest and Kent State, has been hired as the head baseball coach at Akron, director of athletics Tom Wistrcill announced Friday. Rembielak, who spent 2011 as a volunteer assistant at Georgia Tech, is a 1988 Akron graduate.
 
"Coach Rembielak is the perfect fit for our baseball program," Wistrcill said in a release. "He has extensive experience as a Division I head coach, is a proven winner in the MAC and has local ties to Northeast Ohio. We are pleased to hire someone of his caliber and welcome him and his family back to The University of Akron."
 
Rembielak, a Cleveland native, won four MAC regular-season championships and three league tournament titles at KSU, where he remains the all-time winningest coach of any sport with a career record of 373-251-1 (.597).
 
In 11 seasons as the Golden Flashes' head coach, Rembielak was 200-100 (.667) against league members and led KSU to 11 consecutive MAC tournament appearances.
 
In his 16 seasons as a Division I head coach, Rembielak has had 35 players sign professional contracts, including pitcher John Van Benschoten, who was selected eighth overall by the Pirates in 2001. Rembielak spent five seasons at Wake Forest, leading the Demon Deacons to the 2007 NCAA tournament.
 
"I feel very fortunate to be named the head coach at The University of Akron and to return to coaching in the MAC," Rembielak said. "I am eager to hit the ground running as I feel there are many positive events occurring at Akron and within Zips Athletics in particular."

Rembielak replaces Pat Bangston, who resigned after the Zips wen 16-37 this spring in his sixth season.