Tiffin, Ohio – March 23, 2010 – Over the course of the last 11 years the Heidelberg University baseball team has emerged into a top contender not only in the Ohio Athletic Conference, but within the nation. Under the guidance of 11th-year head coach Matt Palm, Heidelberg has found itself as a mainstay in the national rankings.
In the latest poll released by D3baseball.com this morning, March 23, the Berg ranks second among NCAA Division III institutions. There are a total of 376 D-III schools across the United States that sponsor baseball. The D3baseball.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, sports information directors and media members from across the country, and is published weekly.
Its second place ranking is the highest the program has ever stood in a national poll and it’s the highest ranking that any Heidelberg athletic team has received in a regular season poll.
The baseball team is just one of a handful of successful programs at the Berg. Joining baseball among the nationally ranked at the Berg is wrestling, men’s cross country, men’s track & field and volleyball.
In 2010, the Berg stands at 12-1 overall and have picked up four wins against ranked foes. Included in its list of victories was a win over no. 9 Carthage College at the Snowbird Classic and a three-game series sweep over no. 24 Adrian College. It took just 11 games for the Berg to reach double digit wins which marks the quickest time ever, topping its 12 games from a season ago.
Since 2000, Heidelberg has won at least 23 games every year, eclipsing the 30-win plateau on five occasions, including a school record 41-win season in 2008. Over the last 10 years the Berg owns a .689 winning percentage compared to its previous 10 years at .334. Heidelberg has won four Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season Championships (2003, 2007, 2008, 2009) and three OAC Tournament crowns (2004, 2008, 2009), while making three appearances in the NCAA Mideast Regional (2004, 2008, 2009).