Page 43 - DBU Baseball 25 Media Guide

DAN HEEFNER–HEAD COACH
ranked No. 15 in the country by Perfect Game, a mark that ranks as the highest end-of-season ranking in school history.
In 2014, DBU competed in its inaugural season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Heefner’s club burst onto the scene by winning the MVC Tournament in Terre Haute, Indiana, and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament. The Patriots earned the No. 2 seed at the Fort Worth Regional and finished the season with a 40-21 record, making it the third time in the past four years in which DBU reached 40 wins.
Heefner and the Patriots made their second consecutive trip to the postseason in 2012, as DBU earned a trip to the Waco Regional. The Patriots advanced to the Regional Championship game for the second straight year and finished the year with a 41-19 record.
In 2011, Heefner guided the Patriots to even more national recognition, winning the NCAA Fort Worth Regional in a field that included TCU, Oklahoma, and Oral Roberts. Heefner was again named the ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year as his team competed in the Santa Clara Super Regional against the University of California-Berkley. The Patriots finished the year with a 42-20 record, marking
the 33rd consecutive winning season for the program, and finished as high as No. 16 in the nation at season’s end by Collegiate Baseball. DBU’s high-powered offense in 2011 ranked in the Top 25 nationally in several different categories, and Jason Krizan set a new NCAA record for doubles in a season.
Heefner took little time to make his mark at DBU after being named the sixth head coach in Dallas Baptist University history in July 2007. In his first year at the helm, Heefner led the Patriots to several historic milestones. In 2008, DBU earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance by receiving a No. 2 seed in the College Station Regional after finishing the regular season with the 29th- best RPI in the nation.
DBU’s at-large bid marked the first time since 1992 that an NCAA Division I Independent team, other than Miami, made the NCAA Tournament and earned Heefner the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Midwest Region Coach of the Year Award. Heefner was also named the Independent Coach of the Year, which he received again following the 2009 season. In 2009, the Patriots went 38-17 and finished the regular season with the 36th best RPI in the nation.
DBU’S SEASON RECORDS UNDER HEEFNER
2014: 40-21 (Fort Worth
2015: 46-15 (Dallas Regional Finals)
2016: 44-19 (Lubbock Regional Finals)
2017: 42-21 (Fort Worth Regional Finals) 2018: 42-21 (Fayetteville Regional Finals) 2019: 43-20 (Lubbock Regional Finals)
2020: 12-4 *Season canceled due to COVID-19
2008: 37-19 2009: 38-17 2010: 28-27 2011: 42-20 2012: 41-19 2013: 30-30
(College Station Regional)
(Santa Clara Super Regional) (Waco Regional Finals)
CONFERENCE TITLES UNDER HEEFNER
2014: MVC Tournament 2016: MVC Regular-Season
2016: MVC Tournament 2017: MVC Tournament 2019: MVC Regular-Season 2021: MVC Regular-Season
2021: 41-18 (Columbia Super Regional) 2022: 34-24-1 (Austin Regional)
2023: 47-16 (Stillwater Regional Finals) 2024: 45-15 (Tucson Regional)
TOTAL: 652-326-1 (.667)
2021: MVC Tournament 2023: CUSA Regular-Season 2024: CUSA Tournament
to the Western Athletic Conference, Heefner has coached 106 All-Conference selections. DBU has also shined in the classroom under Heefner’s leadership as 31 Patriots have been named First Team All-MVC Scholar Athletes and DBU has been awarded the CUSA Sport Academic Award in 2023 and 2024.
Regional)
During Heefner’s 17 seasons as head coach at DBU, the Patriots have seen numerous players receive individual awards for their success on and off the field. Since 2008, DBU has produced 24 All-Americans, 16 Freshman All- Americans, and three Academic All-Americans, including the 2018 Academic All-America Player of the Year in Devlin Granberg.
Dating back to the 2013 season when DBU transitioned from an Independent
CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS DURING HEEFNER’S TENURE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
2016 - Darick Hall (MVC) 2018 - Devlin Granberg (MVC) 2021 - Jackson Glenn (MVC) PITCHER OF THE YEAR:
2016 - Colin Poche (MVC) 2018 - Trevor Conn (MVC) 2024 - Ryan Johnson (CUSA)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
2017 - Camden Duzenack (MVC) 2018 - Jimmy Glowenke (MVC) 2023 - Nathan Humphreys (CUSA) FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
2016 - Jameson Hannah (MVC) 2018 - Jimmy Glowenke (MVC) 2022 - Luke Heefner (MVC) 2023 - Grant Jay (CUSA)
2024 - Luke Pettitte (CUSA)
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:
2016 - Darick Hall (MVC)
2018 - Kody Funderburk (MVC) 2023 - Ethan Mann (CUSA) 2024 - Michael Dattalo (CUSA)
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