Kirk Clark is in his second season as the head coach of the Ellsworth CC baseball team and is anxious to see his squad build on the successes of his first season in 2023.  The Panthers won 18 games last spring including 12 in the conference.  They overcame a slow start to go on a 16-7 stretch during which they hit .354.  For the year, ECC slugged 60 home runs and had three players slam 11 or more.  The Panthers had a mid-season binge in which they bashed 28 homers in 5 games and 43 in 9 contests.  Jose Valentin became the 19th All-American in program history and was one of five ECC players named to the All-Region teams.  Clark's team also excelled in the classroom with 30 players earning a spot on the Spring Academic All-Region teams.

Clark came to Ellsworth from South Dakota State University, where he has spent his last season as pitching coach for the Jackrabbits. During his tenure at South Dakota State, Clark mentored second-team all-Summit League performer Drew Beazley.  As a staff, Jackrabbit pitchers combined to record 402 strikeouts in 384 innings. Ryan Bourassa recorded 65 strikeouts in only 42 1/3 innings for the highest single-season rate of strikeouts per nine innings in program history at 13.8.

Before arriving at South Dakota State, Clark spent six years as an assistant coach at Wayne State College (Neb.), where he served as the Wildcats' pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. During his time at WSC, the Wildcats posted four winning seasons, including a breakthrough 32-18 campaign in 2019.

Clark accepted the position at Wayne State after a professional playing career. He was signed as a free agent following the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft and proceeded to set a single-season record with 29 saves for Class A Lexington in his first full professional season in 2010, earning South Atlantic League All-Star recognition. During three-plus seasons in the Astros organization, which included two seasons with Lancaster of the Class A California League, he compiled a 14-11 record with 56 saves in 150 appearances.

He also played in various independent leagues, including pitching for the Sioux Falls Canaries (two seasons) and the Schaumburg Bombers in the American Association, as well as a 2014 stint with the Quebec City Capitals.

Clark is well acquainted with the ICCAC. A native of Moline, Illinois, he began his collegiate playing career at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs before moving across the Missouri River to pitch for Creighton. Clark set the Iowa Western career record for wins with 17, helping lead the Reivers to the Junior College World Series in 2007. He was a first-team all-region selection after going 8-3 with a 3.66 ERA in 2007.