Rautenstrauch comes to John Carroll from Canisius College, a Division I program located in Buffalo, New York, where he served as an assistant coach for men's lacrosse coach since the fall of 2013. He also played lacrosse at Canisius for four years during his undergraduate years.

"I am excited for Joe to lead our lacrosse team, and build upon the success of this young program,' said Laurie Massa, Director of Varsity Athletics and Recreation at John Carroll. "His experience at Canisius College, where he helped to develop a competitive lacrosse program, brings a familiarity with our Jesuit Mission, and a commitment to developing students to their full potential on and off the field. Joe brings energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to engage others, which will serve us well in recruiting, and developing support within and around lacrosse."

While coaching at Canisius, Rautenstrauch worked as the team's defensive coordinator in 2016, working with a young unit that lowered its scoring defense average and finished ranked 48th in the country.

In his previous two seasons on the staff of head coach Randy Mearns, Rautenstrauch focused on working with the faceoff units and the goaltenders. While working with goaltenders, he improved their save percentage by 25 percent and dropped their goals against average by 2.5 goals per game. Rautenstrauch was also able to aid in improving the main faceoff taker's percentage by boosting it to a 57 percent win rate over two years.

After graduating with a bachelor in Sports Management in 2013, Rautenstrauch earned his masters degree in Sports Administration at his alma mater in 2014 and graduated as Magna Cum Laude.

As a player, Rautenstrauch was a four year letterwinner for the Griffs. He enjoyed a breakout season at Canisius during his senior campaign in 2013, as he played in all 13 games and ranked second on the team with 27 points on 18 goals and nine assists. Primarily a defensive midfielder during his first three seasons at the College, Rautenstrauch appeared in 39 career games with 32 points, 18 goals, 14 assists and 63 ground balls, helping lead the Griffs to the MAAC Championship in 2012.