Kyle Rodenkirk's cell phone rang at 3:30 Monday afternoon. He hasn't stopped smiling since.

Chris Deam, the athletic director at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, called to see if Rodenkirk wanted to return to his alma mater and become the school's new baseball coach.

Rodenkirk, 28, didn't have to think about it, but he did have to catch his breath.

"It was a pretty quick trigger for me," he said. "I was a little shell-shocked.

"I'm excited and honored."

Rodenkirk was an all-conference catcher at Jefferson and played at Winona State University. He worked as an assistant coach in the Jefferson program and was the head coach at Anamosa High School for two years before serving as an assistant at Linn-Mar this past season.

He called Jefferson his "dream job" during an interview several weeks ago. Now his dream has come true.

Rodenkirk called his wife with the good news, called his parents and called Linn-Mar Coach Chad Lechner, who encouraged him to pursue the job at Jefferson when Mike Kuba resigned to become an assistant softball coach with the J-Hawks.

"My mind has been going in every which way, trying to think of everything I need to do first," Rodenkirk said.

He plans to meet with Jefferson's assistant coaches from the 2012 campaign as he puts his staff together. He also plans to hold a players meeting and will attend the Kernels Foundation high school baseball tournament this weekend, when he'll proudly wear his Jefferson cap again while watching his J-Hawks play ball.

Rodenkirk said there were several strong candidates for the job. "I knew there was going to be stiff competition going into it," he said, praising the other coaches.

Rodenkirk would like to build a clubhouse for the players at the Jefferson field. He'd also like to install an irrigation system in the outfield.

He said he doesn't prefer a particular style of baseball, as long as it's successful. "I think it all depends on the situation you're in and the type of players you have," he said.

Rodenkirk is a teacher at Wilson Middle School in the Jefferson district.

"Coach Rodenkirk brings a strong knowledge of the game and a great enthusiasm for Jefferson baseball," Deam remarked in a news release. "He is focused on improving Jefferson baseball."