Jeff Tylka

Position: Assistant Coach Alma Mater: Knox (2001)

Jeff Tylka enters his second season as assistant softball coach at Loyola University Chicago after spending three seasons as the head coach at Antioch High School in Antioch, Ill. As the head coach at Antioch, Tylka compiled a 91-17 (.843) record and saw a multitude of his players move on to play collegiate softball.

"Jeff is a great teacher of the game and has experienced success in each of his coaching positions," Loyola Head Coach Missy Beseres said. "His knowledge of the game is second-to-none his former players speak very highly of him. In addition, he is in tune with the top talent in the Chicago area, which is the focal point of our recruiting footprint."

In his first season at Loyola in 2012, Tylka helped the Ramblers to a second-place finish in the Horizon League regular-season standings as the team recorded the second-most conference wins (15) in school history. Loyola also made its first appearance in the Horizon League Championship title game since 2004. After starting the year with a 4-12 record, the Ramblers finished with a flourish, going 22-11 to close out the season, defeating three BCS conference schools along the way, including traditional powers Northwestern and DePaul.

Tylka worked closely with five All-Horizon League selections in 2012 as Brooke Andresen and Brittany Gardner picked up first team honors, while Lauren Arceneaux, Jessica Balzano and Annie Korth collected second team accolades. Gardner was also tabbed Horizon League Pitcher of the Year and became only the fifth player in school history to earn NFCA All-Region recognition.

The 2012 Ramblers established a school record for fewest errors in a single season (47) and the offensive flourished under Tylka's tutelage, batting .274 as a team.

In 2010, Tylka steered Antioch High School to a school-record 32 victories and a third-place showing at the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) 3A state tournament. One of his most prized pupils at Antioch was current Loyola third baseman Lauren Moore, who has started all 101 games in her collegiate career. During the 2009 campaign, Tylka piloted the Sequoits to 32 wins and a regional championship.

In addition to his success as the head coach at Antioch High School, Tylka served four years as an assistant coach for the Illinois Chill 18U Gold Softball squad. While with the Chill, Tylka filled the role of hitting instructor and defensive coordinator.

A former baseball team co-captain at Knox College, Tylka also lettered in football and basketball there. A 2001 graduate of Knox, he earned a master's degree from Saint Mary's University in Winona, Minn., in 2004.