Joe Engler – Baseball, Books, and Music

In this episode of the Journey of My Mother’s Son podcast, I talk with Joe Engler.

Joe played for our organization back in 2003.  He was on our Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL) team between his sophomore and junior seasons at Minot State University in North Dakota.  I refer to him as one of my old players, but he never actually played a game for me, he just played in our organization.  He was one of the players who I really connected with while he was with us.

Joe and I talk about the life lessons that the game of baseball taught him and how he is using them today in both his work and personal life. 

Joe is now an Associate Professor and Director of School Psychology at Gonzaga University. Dr. Engler received his BA in psychology at Minot State University in Minot, ND and his Ph.D. in school psychology at The University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD. Dr. Engler began his professional career as a school psychologist in Tooele, UT and remains active in the profession through advocacy and leadership at the local, state, and national level. Dr. Engler holds the Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential through the National Association of School Psychologists and is a diplomate in school neuropsychology through the American Board of School Neuropsychology. His research interests include preschool assessment, critical evaluation of psychometric tests, and parental involvement.

Joe recently co-authored his second book titled, “Essentials of Addressing Infants, Toddlers, and Pre-schoolers.”  It will be released in early April of 2025.

We wrap the conversation up by talking about Joe’s recent love for playing music.  He, his wife, and a group of friends recently started the cover band, Close Enough, in which Joe plays lead guitar.

Joe was also inducted into the Minot State University Hall of Fame in September of 2024.

If you’re ever in the Spokane area and want to see the band play somewhere, check them out on social media on either Instagram or Facebook.