The following story was reported by WICS-TV 20 on June 15, 2023.
"After four years as the head coach of the University of Illinois Springfield baseball team, Ryan Copeland has accepted the head coaching position at Northern Illinois University
Copeland finished his head coaching career with the Prairie Stars with a 131-38 record, winning a conference, regional and super-regional championship in 2022. That same year, the Prairie Stars appeared in the NCAA Championship Tournament."