Brian Dinkelman and the game of baseball have been inextricably interwoven from jump. Growing up in Irvington, baseball wasn’t just a pastime —it was part of the atmosphere. Whether it was backyard games or on school fields scattered across the region, the rhythm of the game shaped Brian’s life from an early age. And for a young man with a glove in his hand and a dream in his heart, that rhythm carried him further than most ever get to go.

Brian graduated from Centralia High School in 2002. He’d grown up just five miles down the road in Irvington and still feels deeply tied to the area. His parents remain there, and many of his childhood friends are now raising families of their own in Centralia. “I still get back whenever I can,” he says. “It’s home.”

At CHS, Brian played baseball all four years, a commitment that earned him a scholarship to McKendree University in Lebanon. There, he played another four years and completed his degree, not yet knowing that the game still had bigger plans for him. In the summer following his graduation, he was selected in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins.

“I’ll never forget getting that call,” he says. “It was surreal.”

From there, Brian entered the long and winding road of minor league baseball, traveling from Tennessee to Florida to Connecticut to New York—riding buses, grinding out games, and keeping the dream alive. He played professionally for eight seasons before hanging up his cleats. But that didn’t mean he was done with baseball… or it with him.

“I didn’t know exactly what would come next,” he says. “But I was lucky. The Twins gave me a shot to stay involved.”

After a brief return to his hometown—where he worked for a year at Centralia’s Community Resource Center—Brian rejoined the Twins organization, this time as a coach. He started as a hitting coach in Fort Myers, Florida, then moved up to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he spent nine years, first as a hitting coach and later as the team’s manager. In 2024, he took another big step, becoming the Double-A manager for the Wichita Wind Surge.

“It’s a huge jump from High-A to Double-A,” he says. “You’re closer to the big leagues. The talent, the pressure—it all ramps up.”

Now in his third act in professional baseball, Brian finds joy not just in the game, but in mentoring young players—many of whom come from places like Irvington, Centralia, or similar small towns with dusty fields and big dreams.

“I’ve coached kids from everywhere—big cities, tiny towns. What they all have in common is they love the game, and they’re willing to work.”

He sees his own story in theirs. The uncertainty, the grind, the hope. He talks about resilience as one of the most critical traits in baseball—an arena where failure is a daily companion. “You can’t let a bad at-bat define you,” he says. “And that’s a lesson that’s just as true off the field.”

Brian’s life today is a blend of travel and home. During the season, he lives in Wichita. In the off-season, he returns to O’Fallon, Illinois, where his wife Randi—also a Centralia alum—and their daughter Sydney live. Though just ten years old, Sydney is already a competitive athlete in her own right, having spent years in gymnastics and now diving headfirst into volleyball.

“She’s strong and focused, and that foundation from gymnastics really shows,” Brian says. “She didn’t take to softball, but she found her thing, and I love that.”

Raising a family, coaching ballplayers, and returning to Centralia when he can—Brian carries his roots with him no matter where the schedule takes him. He still points out the small school he once attended in Irvington, the fields where he practiced, the gym where he played. And he shares those memories with his daughter, hoping they’ll ground her in the same way they anchored him.

As for the future? Brian’s keeping his eye on the next pitch. “I’ve been in the game my whole life. I’d love to get the call to the big leagues someday as a coach or manager. But no matter what, I’m grateful. I get to do what I love—and that all started back home.”

What began on the dirt diamonds of Southern Illinois has turned into a life spent inside the game. And though the stadiums may be bigger now, the lessons haven’t changed. Work hard. Stay grounded. And let the game take you where it will.