Ball became the new head football coach on March 28, 2022 after serving as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Miners for four seasons while also serving as the associate head coach during the final three seasons of that span. He took over the reins of the S&T program when Todd Drury stepped down from the post after the 2021 season to accept a position at Western Illinois University.
"Coach Ball has shown a proven commitment to S&T and his coaching philosophy mirrors the mission of the university," Missouri S&T director of athletics Melissa Ringhausen said. "He understands the rigorous academic curriculum and how to balance that with a winning football program. He is already connected with many of the alumni and is well-respected in the community. We are excited to have him as our head coach and look forward watching the team excel under his leadership."
In his first season as head coach, the MIners had three players that won major awards from the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Ben Straatmann was named as the league's defensive player of the year and also earned all-region honors, while Gideon Niboh was the conference's special teams player of the year and Cameron Smith was selected as the GLVC's top freshman.
In 2023, the Miners closed the season with wins in four of their final six games to finish fourth in the GLVC, finishing 4-3 in conference play and 4-7 overall. S&T had 19 players earn All-GLVC honors following the season, including four first-team selections.
Over the three full seasons S&T played after Ball's return to the staff, the Miners averaged 35.5 points, 158.7 rushing yards and 429.7 total yards per game as they went a combined 23-11 during those seasons. S&T also played three games in the spring of 2021 after the 2020 season was not played in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where the Miners went 2-1 and averaged 41.3 points, 283 rushing yards and 477.3 yards per game.
Since the 2018 season, the Miners have had two of their top four seasons in program history for yards gained, three of their top seven scoring seasons all-time and have had three seasons among the their top eight for passing yards in a season. In his first season after his return in 2018, the Miners went 10-2 and won the Mineral Water Bowl in S&T's first post-season appearance since 1950.
During Ball's first stint on the Miner staff from 2007-10, the Miners set offensive records during the 2008 campaign when they captured the Great Lakes Football Conference title as they racked up 4,945 offensive yards – a mark that was just broken in 2017 – and averaged 37.1 points per game. The Miners' best offensive day in school history, a 697-yard performance against Kentucky Wesleyan, also came during that year as S&T recorded a 7-4 record.
In 2007, the Miners led NCAA Division II in kickoff returns, as the unit averaged 27.2 yards per runback and returned four of those kicks for touchdowns. Ashton Gronewold, who had two of those touchdown returns, was among the national leaders in kickoff return yardage that season.
In his first four seasons at Missouri S&T, Ball helped produce eight players on the offensive line that earned all-conference honors, including two that were named as the offensive lineman of the year in the conference. Over the last four seasons, the Miners have had 10 offensive linemen earn All-GLVC honors which includes four that were selected to the first team.
After the 2010 season, Ball moved on to Truman State, where he served as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator for the Bulldogs for four years. Truman had two All-America performers in placekicker Derek Koon and punter Eric Phillips, as well as seven all-conference defensive linemen during his tenure. The Bulldog special teams unit routinely ranked among the national leaders in several categories in those four seasons.
Ball served as the offensive line coach at Missouri Western during the 2015 and 2016 seasons and coached six players that were all-conference selections for a unit that averaged 218 yards per game on the ground in his second year on the staff. In 2017, Ball served as the head coach at St. Joseph Central High School where he mentored Bobby Lawrence, who signed to play at the University of Missouri.
Before his initial stint at Missouri S&T, Ball was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Central Missouri – where he earned his bachelor's degree from in 2002 and his master's degree two years later – and was an assistant coach at Culver-Stockton College for three seasons as the offensive line coach and special teams coordinator before joining the S&T staff prior to the 2007 campaign.
Ball's father, Randy, previously served as the head coach at Western Illinois University and Missouri State University.
