Athletic Administration

Matt Palm
Director of Athletics / Head Baseball Coach
(419) 448-2009
mpalm@heidelberg.edu
 

Jason Miller
Associate Director of Athletics / Head Volleyball and Wrestling Coach
(419) 448-2377
jmiller7@heidelberg.edu
 

Matt Palm

 
Head baseball coach Matt Palm was appointed director of athletics at Heidelberg University on May 21, 2008.The 2009-10 academic year marks Palm’s 11th at the institution. During his time at the Berg, Palm has doubled up his success with the baseball team and with the athletic department.
 
Under Palm’s guidance, an emphasis within the Heidelberg athletic department has been placed on the overall experience that all student-athletes receive while attending the Berg. “It is important that every student-athlete has a great four years on campus. As a department we will strive to allow all student-athletes to get a great education, while being involved in not only the Heidelberg community, but in the Tiffin community, while gaining valuable experience on the athletic fields.”
           
Prior to taking over his role as the director of athletics, Palm served as Heidelberg’s associate athletic director for the 2007-08 academic year. Palm worked closely with the athletic teams’ budgets, student work study employment, facility scheduling and game management. Along with former director of athletics Duane Sheldon, he implemented the successful ’Berg Pride program to increase fan attendance and enthusiasm for athletics at Heidelberg. Palm also was a strong contributor to student-athletes’ award recognition and the Alumni H-Association.
             
Palm has a history of success at Heidelberg with the baseball program and will look to carry his enthusiasm over to the entire athletic department. Guiding the baseball program, Palm has amassed an overall record of 303-138-2. He has guided the Berg to Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season Championships in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and the OAC Tournament title in 2004, 2008 and 2009. The Berg has made three trips to the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional.
 
Palm has brought a tradition of championship-caliber teams to Heidelberg. Twenty-four single-season records and 17 career records are held by student-athletes who played under his guidance. In that time, Palm has coached three OAC Players of the Year (Aaron Fischer, 2000; Jon Hatfield, 2003 and A.J. Schlea, 2006), two OAC Pitcher’s of the Year (Bill Sheets, 2002 and Andy Lowe, 2009 ), placed 28 players on the All-Mideast Region team, had 17 players honored as Academic All-OAC First Team members and 34 All-OAC First Team performers. He has also coached seven All-Americans including, Jon Hatfield (2003), Schlea (2006), Jeremy Wentworth (2008) and two-time All-Americans Lowe (2009) and Gar Keen (2009)
           
He joined Heidelberg after spending one year as an assistant baseball coach at Indiana University in Bloomington, and was an assistant coach with Emory University. The Eagles advanced into the NCAA Regionals every season he was with the program.
 
Palm is a native of Orrville, Ohio, and is a graduate of Smithville High School. He earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Wooster and his master's degree from Georgia State University. He resides in Tiffin with his wife Michelle, two sons, Samuel and Nicholas, and daughter, Cecilia and a fourth child is expected in September.

Jason Miller

Head volleyball and wrestling coach Jason Miller was named associate director of athletics at Heidelberg University in June 2008. The 2009-10 academic year marks Miller’s 10th year at the helm of the volleyball team and eighth as head wrestling coach.
 
Miller works alongside director of athletics Matt Palm in directing the day-to-day operations of the athletic department; with an emphasis on facility scheduling, budget management and the annual hall of fame inductions. He will also help to continually develop the successful ’Berg Pride program.
 
In nine seasons guiding the volleyball team, Miller has amassed a career record of 174-133 and has made seven-consecutive trips to the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament, highlighted by back-to-back appearances in the championship match (2007, 2008). The Berg is coming off two of the most successful seasons in the history of the program. In 2007, Heidelberg collected a record-tying 27 wins, only to surpass that mark at 31 in 2008. In the last two years, Heidelberg has earned an at-large bid to the Division III National Championships and won their quarterfinal match. For his efforts Miller was tabbed the OAC Coach of the Year in 2007.

The volleyball team has claimed Heidelberg’s Bill Landess Scholar Team Award in each of the last three years and has placed 14 student-athletes on the Academic All-OAC list, along with 15earning all-conference accolades during Miller’s tenure. In 2008 he coached the OAC Libero of the Year in Brittany Donelan and the OAC Rookie of the Year in Jackie Reinhart. He also guided the first All-Americans at the Berg in Emily Hurlburt and Morgan Magers. Along the way he has coached four All-Great Lakes Region honoress.
 
On the wrestling mat, Miller has led the Berg to four-straight OAC Tournament titles and three of the last four OAC Regular Season Championships, while garnering Coach of the Year honors the last four-consecutive years. Heidelberg has finished in the top-three in the league standings in each of his seven years. Overall, Miller owns a career record of 68-35 and a 29-8 mark in the OAC. Miller has produced 20 OAC champions and five All-Americans, along with the Berg’s first national champion ever in Joe Pflug (2006) at 157 pounds.
 
Not to be outdone, Miller has coached 14 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-Americans.  Also, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2009 Heidelberg ranked in the top-20 as a team on the NWCA Academic list.
 
A native to Tiffin and graduate of Hopewell-Loudon High School, Miller was a three-time national qualifier and a two-time All-American at 158 pounds for Heidelberg. He won the Ohio Athletic Conference 158-pound class at the 1997 championships and was a three-time All-OAC performer. He was team captain during the 1997 season and was a 1996 NWCA Academic All-American.
 
Miller finished his four-year career with a record of 136-38 for a .781 winning percentage. His 136 victories are tops on the college's all-time win list and his 41-2 record in 1997 sits atop the single season win list followed by his 36 wins as a junior.
Prior to returning to Heidelberg Miller spent three seasons as the assistant wrestling coach at Ohio Northern University.
 
Miller earned his bachelor's degree from Heidelberg in 1998 and his master's degree from the University of Findlay in 2001. Miller, his wife, Jennifer, and daughters, Hannah, Olivia and Emily, reside in Sycamore, Ohio.