Keelan Barker enters his second season at the helm of the Indiana Tech men’s soccer program heading into the 2025 fall season after being named head coach on January 18, 2024.
In his first season in charge (2024), Barker would continue the trend of recent success in the men’s soccer program. Tech would go 13-2-5 overall on the season and 9-0-3 in WHAC play, finishing second in conference for a third straight season after three straight regular season titles. Barker would lead the Warriors to a sixth straight WHAC Tournament Championship and NAIA Tournament appearance in his first season. Tech would fall to Bethel University in overtime at the NAIA Opening Round. The Warriors had nine All-WHAC Team selections, two WHAC All-Newcomer Team selections, three WHAC All-Academic Team members, two NAIA Scholar-Athletes, and one WHAC Player of the Week winner. Tiago Dias would be named WHAC Player of the Year, WHAC Newcomer of the Year, and a NAIA Third Team All-American selection.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Barker to our men’s soccer program,” Director of Athletics Jessie Biggs said. “His knowledge and coaching history at multiple levels is a great fit for our team moving forward.”
Barker comes to Tech with a vast array of knowledge and experiences at the college level over the years, joining from NCAA D1 Bowling Green State University where he was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the last year.
"First I just want to thank Jessie Biggs, David Bokhart and all of the hiring committee for giving me the opportunity to become a part of this great program and university,” Barker said. “My family and I are excited to be back in the Fort Wayne area and I cannot wait to get to work with the lads."
Before his time at Bowling Green, Barker was previously the head coach at NJCAA Coffeyville CC, where he led them to two KJCCC conference titles, one Regional final appearance, and one national tournament appearance. They were also ranked in the top ten in the country for their on the field performances, as well as their team GPA. Barker set the record at Coffeyville for the most wins in program history with a 18-3-1 record.
He has coached at USL 2 Fort Wayne FC for the past three seasons, setting the record for the most wins in their history, going undefeated in the regular season and winning the conference title during the 2023 summer season, and being ranked in the top 5 in the country.
Barker began his collegiate coaching career at Eastern Oregon University, where he helped the Mountaineers advance to the postseason for the first time in program history in 2018, his first season with the program. The team went 11-4-4 that fall and advanced to the Cascade Collegiate Conference semifinals. The next season (2019), Barker helped the Mounties advance to the conference final, as well as the NAIA National Tournament, achieving both milestones for the first time in program history.
Barker played two seasons at Coffeyville CC, captaining the team and earning all-conference honors in both years. Barker helped the team to a 15-5 overall record and a conference co-championship in 2013. In 2014, he helped Coffeyville to a 14-6-3 overall mark and a second-place league finish. The Red Ravens also won a regional title and made the program’s first-ever national-tournament appearance during his playing career.
He then played two seasons at Purdue Fort Wayne, where he again was a team captain. He started 35 of the Mastodons’ 36 matches during his two years in Fort Wayne, with seven points on three goals and an assist. He was named to the Summit League Academic Honor Roll in both years and helped set the record for the most wins in NCAA D1 program history in 2016-2017.
Barker, a native of Nottingham, England, graduated from Purdue Fort Wayne in 2018, with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He earned an MBA from Eastern Oregon in 2019. Barker resides in Fort Wayne with his wife, Elizabeth and daughter, Amiya.
