The veteran coach, who is entering his 29th season with ISU, is also in the top 20 among active Division I baseball coaches in victories (13th) and in the top 50 among active Division I coaches in winning percentage (46th). His overall career record stands at 1,104-684-9. 

Warn was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in January of 2003. He describes the induction as “the highest honor possible bestowed upon a head coach.” 

“Next to the passion we (coaches) have for this game, to be honored by our peers is perhaps the biggest thrill to come our way,” Warn said. “It is definitely something special for all of those associated with Indiana State baseball.” 

Baseball has always been in the blood of the Crystal Lake, Illinois native. He was an outfielder during his playing days, which have roots in the Missouri Valley Conference, as well. He was a collegiate outfielder at Southern Illinois in Carbondale. While playing for the Salukis in 1968, they advanced on to the College World Series. At the CWS, they dropped a 4-3 decision to Southern California in the finals. Additionally, they finished No. 2 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll. 

Following his playing days, he went straight into coaching while serving two years in the U.S. Army at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. While at Ft. Polk, his ongoing quest for winning continued and has not stopped as he posted an impressive 50-9 record as a player-coach. Following a stint as a graduate assistant at Western Illinois, he went on to Iowa Western Community College. At Iowa Western, he posted a three-year coaching record of 104-38 before moving on to Indiana State in the summer of 1975. 

Through 28 years as the head coach of the Sycamore program he has posted an impressive 1,000-646-9 record. Overall, he has posted an amazing 1,104-684-9 record in 31 years as a coach. The motivation has since carried Warn to where he is at today. 

“I was playing, too, but I found I got more enjoyment out of helping someone else with the game,” he explains. “Until then I never realized that I was that sure of myself -that’s all it is. A lot of people know how to play baseball; it’s how sure you are in getting it across to someone else. As soon as I could see people would listen and what I said made sense to them, I knew coaching was what I wanted to do.” 

Since arriving on the Indiana State campus, Warn’s record of achievement has been nothing less than remarkable. He led the Sycamores to a school-record 57 wins in 1985 and trips to the NCAA post-season tournament in 1979, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1995. Indiana State won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title in 1983, while the 1986 squad won the NCAA Mideast Regional championship over a field that included Michigan, Oral Roberts, and Central Michigan. In 1989, the Sycamores won the MVC post-season championship - beating eventual NCAA champion Wichita State four times in the process. 

His success on the field has garnered the coach many accolades both by his peers and other vital members of the baseball community. On three occasions, 1979, 1983 and 1984, he has been named Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year. He has been inducted into the Iowa Western College Hall of Fame and the Indiana Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, respectively. From 1997-1998, he was named president of the American Baseball Coaches Association, after a stint from 1995-1996 as the first vice-president. 

The coach’s life centers around his wife Bonnie and his three sons, Brian, Brad and Barry, who have all played for him at Indiana State. Brian was a four-year starter at second base for the Sycamores from 1993-1997, while Brad played for ISU from 1994-1998. Barry, a senior, is currently playing second base playing for the Sycamores. Warn isn’t the only coach in the family, though. “She (Bonnie) never misses a game and she’s a great coach. She bats 1.000 on decisions - after the fact,” Warn laughs.