The 2015 season will be the third for Ray Napientek on the Chicago State baseball staff. He serves as the Cougars’ recruiting coordinator and pitching coach. In 2014 he took on the associate head coach title.

Despite just five-full time pitchers in 2013 the Chicago State pitching staff compiled the program’s best single-season ERA since 1994.

Napientek’s pitchers was a big reason the Cougars won a pair of games at the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament. Andrew Wellwerts' complete game effort in a 3-2 win over Utah Valley earned him 2013 GWC All-Tournament Team honors. The following day James Tucker allowed just one run over eight innings to help Chicago State defeat UTPA 4-1. Tucker took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in the contest.

In 2014 Chicago State's pitching staff continued to improve as the squad's team ERA dropped to 5.79 despite the squad's entry in to the competitive Western Athletic Conference. It gave the Cougars an ERA below 6.00 in back-to-back years for the first time since 1991. Eric Hall compiled an ERA of 3.45 ERA in 2014, the ninth best single season mark in CSU history.

Napientek came to Chicago State following six seasons as an assistant at Northern Illinois University. Nine Huskies reached the professional level under Napientek. Most recently, NIU’s Jake Hermsen was taken in the 28^th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2010 reliever Andy Deain joined the Baltimore Orioles after leaving NIU ranking second on the all-time saves list. Starter Chuck Lukanen signed with the Southern Illinois Miners after leading the Huskies in wins for two straight seasons. Another pair of Huskies signed professionally after 2008 as second team All-Mid-American Conference selection Trevor Feeney was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 31st round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft and Matt Jernstad signed with the Joliet Jackhammers.

In 2011 Jeremy Gonzales was named Pro-Line's National Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete game shutout over Miami (Ohio) on April 11. Tony Manville tied the program record for wins in a season (9), earning second team All-MAC honors and Kyle Glancy was named to the Midseason Stopper of the Year watch list by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Additionally, pitcher Adam Holdenrid became the first Huskie to earn a Rawlings Gold Glove Award as one of nine honorees in the country in 2008.
 
In 2007, Napientek helped the NIU pitching staff to record-setting performances. NIU pitchers set a school record with 398 strikeouts while posting a Modern Era record with a 4.65 team ERA as the team notched a school-record 34 Division I victories and 16 MAC wins.

With the tutelage of Napientek, Matt German became the school's first Division I All-American player and first national award finalist, when he was one of five pitchers up for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. The closer became the school's career saves leader and finished his career second on the all-time MAC list.

Following the 2007 season, two of Napientek protégés inked professional contracts as German signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and Mark Badgley with the Florida Marlins.

Prior to becoming a coach, Napientek was a four-year starting pitcher at North Central and finished his career with 19 victories, the third-highest win total in school history. He also finished in a first-place tie on the school's all-time list with 13 complete games and three shutouts.

The right-hander helped lead the Cardinals to CCIW titles in both 1996 and 1998. During the 1996 season, Napientek earned second team all-conference accolades and two seasons later he posted a 7-1 record that included victories over Elmhurst in the CCIW Tournament and Carthage in the NCAA Central Regional. Napientek and the '98 team went 28-15-1, was runner-up at the NCAA Central Regional and finished 15th in the Collegiate Baseball national rankings.

After graduating from NCC in 1999, Napientek served as the head coach of the Naperville Cardinals, a summer wooden bat collegiate team. In his first year as coach, Napientek guided the squad to a 21-9 record and league championship.

The Chicago native was an assistant coach at North Park University during the 2005 season before moving to an assistant coach position at St. Patrick High School. There, he conducted opponent scouting while helping lead the Chicago school to a runner-up finish at the 2006 IHSA Class AA Championships in Geneva.

Napientek has a master's degree in Sport Management from NIU. He and his wife Randi have two daughters, Kara (6) and Katy (3).