Coach Howard enters his 8th year as the Head Baseball Coach for the Eagles compiling an impressive 217-132 record and a .621 winning percentage as the leader of the Eagles. His teams have won three conference championships and have been ranked in the NAIA Top 25 poll six out of the last eight years. In 2004 and 2008 Howard was named the Heart of America Coach of the Year. Coach Howard was also chosen the ABCA Diamond Region 5 Coach of the Year in 2008. He has led the Eagles to five 36 win seasons out of eight. Coach Howard's teams have been reached the Regional tournament 6 out of his 8 years. They have reached the finals once and the semi-finals twice. During the summer of 2006 Coach Howard, led team America to a third place finish in Prague , Czech Republic . The tournament was highlighted with a win over the Czech National team. An outstanding collegiate player himself, Ryan started his career at Porterville College and then transferred to Bakersfield Junior College . From Bakersfield College he came to Avila and has been here since. Howard played two years for the Eagles and compiled an impressive resume as a player. After completing his career at Avila , Howard joined the Eagle's coaching staff as an assistant coach and then took over the Eagle program at the age of 24. One of Coach Howard's famous quotes is "We aren't here to win games we are here to win championships. Anyone can win games not everyone can win championships." Coach Howard's teams possess a 95% graduation rate and an 89% percent retention rate. "I believe in developing an all-around winning program. That means winning off the field and the classroom as well."

A native of Hughson California , Howard holds the Northern California record for most RBI's in a high school baseball game with 10. Coach Howard now resides in Raymore , MO with his wife Becky, an Avila alumni and former Eagle softball player. Ryan and Becky met at Avila and have been married for five years.