Dallas Baptist University Men's Baseball

Heefner has guided the DBU Baseball program to the NCAA postseason six times, including five of the last six years.  Dating back to the 2011 season when the Patriots won the Fort Worth Regional and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals, DBU has won 40 or more games on five separate occasions, while producing nine All-Americans and six freshman All-Americans over that six-year span.  In nine seasons as the Patriots head coach, Heefner owns a career record of 346-187 and his .649 win percentage ranks 20th best among all active NCAA Division I coaches.  The Patriots are coming off their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, as DBU won both the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles, and advanced to the Lubbock Regional as the No. 2 seed.  The Patriots went 44-19 in 2016, reaching the Regional Final for the fourth time in the last six years and finished just two wins shy of matching a school-record for the most victories in a single-season.  DBU also won 40 games for the third straight year, making them one of just 10 teams from across the nation to win 40 games or more in each of the last three seasons.  It also marked the second consecutive year that the Patriots finished the season nationally ranked, as DBU was tabbed No. 24 in both the National Collegiate Baseball Writers and Collegiate Baseball polls. In 2015, Heefner guided the Patriots to a historic season, as DBU won a school-record 46 games and hosted the programs first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament.  The Patriots also held the No. 1 RPI in the nation for eight of the last nine weeks of the regular season and finished the year ranked No. 15 in the country by Perfect Game, a mark that ranks as the highest end of season ranking in school history. It did not take Heefner long to make a mark at DBU after being named the sixth head coach in Dallas Baptist history in July of 2007.  In his first year as the DBU Baseball programs Head Coach, Heefner led the Patriots to several historic milestones.  In 2008, DBU earned their 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. DBUs 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. In 2011, Heefner guided the Patriots to even more national recognition, as they won the NCAA Fort Worth Regional in a field that included TCU, Oklahoma, and Oral Roberts.  Heefner was once 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.  Dallas Baptists 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 and the Patriots made it back-to-back trips to the postseason in 2012, as DBU earned a trip to the Waco Regional.  For the second straight year, the Patriots advanced to the Regional Championship game and finished the year with a 41-19 record. In 2014, DBU competed in their inaugural season as members of the Missouri Valley Conference.  Heefners 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. During Heefners nine seasons as head coach at DBU, the Patriots have had numerous players receive individual awards for their success on and off the field.  Since 2008, DBU has produced 13 All-Americans, nine Freshman All-Americans, and two Academic All-Americans.  In 2016, DBUs Darick Hall was named both the Missouri Valley Conferences Joe Carter Player of the Year and the leagues Newcomer of the Year, while Colin Poche garnered MVC Pitcher of the Year honors, and Jameson Hannah was tabbed the Co-Freshman of the Year in The Valley. In the Patriots three seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference, 35 players from DBU have earned All-MVC recognition, a total that ranks most among all eight teams in the league.  DBU also sits atop the league in the classroom over the last three years, as 12 Patriots have been named First Team All-MVC Scholar Athletes. The following players received individual national accolades following the 2016 season: - 1st Baseman/Right-Hand Pitcher First Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball) Second Team All-American (American Baseball Coaches Association) Third Team All-American (D1Baseball) Third Team All-American (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) MVC Joe Carter Player of the Year MVC Newcomer of the Year John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year finalist - Left-Hand Pitcher Second Team All-American (Collegiate Baseball) MVC Pitcher of the Year   - Outfielder Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American MVC Co-Freshman of the Year In 2016, five players from DBU were selected in the Major League Draft, headlined by junior outfielder David Martinelli, who was a sixth round selection of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Both Darick Hall and Colin Poche were selected in the 14th rounds, as Hall was taken by the Phillies and Poche went to the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Camden Duzenacks name was called in the23rd round by the Phillies and Daniel Sweet was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 29th round.  Following the MLB Draft, Sean Stutzman signed a professional contract with the Houston Astros.   In 2015, DBU tied a school record with seven players selected in the Major League Draft, matching the previous high set in 2006.  Drew Smith was the highest draft selection from DBU in 2015, as the junior right-hand pitcher was taken by the Detroit Tigers in the third round.  With the selection of Smith in round three, Dallas Baptist became the only school from the state of Texas and one of only nine programs in the nation to have a player taken in the top three rounds from 2013-2015.  Joining Smith on that elite list of players from DBU taken in the first three rounds are , who was a third round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014, and Jake Johansen, who went in the second round to the Washington Nationals in 2013.    In total, DBU saw five junior pitchers taken in the first 12 rounds of the 2015 Major League Draft, including (3rd round - Tigers), (4th round - Rays), (5th round - Yankees), (8th round - Giants), and (12th round - Mets), making it the first time in school history in which five pitchers have been selected from a single draft class.   Also selected in the 2015 draft class were two position players in catcher, , and second baseman, .  Salters, who was one of 20 finalists in 2015 for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's top catcher, went in the 13th round to the Cleveland Indians.  It marked the second consecutive year in which Salters' name has been called in the draft, as he was a 22nd round selection of the Washington Nationals in 2014.  Turbin on the other hand, who was a First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 2015 and ranked No. 21 in the nation in on-base percentage, went in the 14th round to the Baltimore Orioles. Developing players to advance their careers to the professional ranks has become a staple of the DBU Baseball program.  During Heefners career at DBU, 62 players have pursued professional baseball careers, including 39 Patriots in the last nine years alone.   In 2013, DBU saw six players selected in the draft, which was the most from any school in the state of Texas.  Three former Patriots also made their Major League debuts in 2013 including Brandon Bantz (Seattle Mariners), Vic Black (Pittsburgh Pirates), and Ryan Goins (Toronto Blue Jays).  All three players were selected out of DBU in the 2009 Major League Draft. Heefner has led the Patriots to a great deal of success on the field, but it is far from the teams sole focus; the Patriot Discipleship program is designed with opportunities to challenge players at all levels of spiritual maturity.  The Patriot Baseball Team has also embraced DBUs mission of developing servant leaders by participating in numerous service activities in the community and even internationally. Over the past nine years, the Patriots have served in the San Gabriel Orphanage and conducted baseball clinics while on mission trips to Curacao (2015), the Dominican Republic (2011), and Guatemala (2007).  The Patriots have also volunteered at the North Texas Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, at the Special Olympics of Texas Track and Field Championship and conducted numerous free baseball clinics in and around Dallas. The team has excelled in the classroom as well, posting a team GPA average of 3.14 since Heefner became Head Coach. Prior to and since taking over as Head Coach, Heefner has developed the Patriots into one of the most powerful offensive teams in the nation as the Patriots hitting coach. As a result of his leadership, Dallas Baptist has inserted itself into the college baseball spotlight by being nationally ranked in at least five offensive categories each year. 2nd Sacrifice Flies (39) 21st Base on Balls (289) 22nd Home Runs (62) 25th Triples (21) 28th Home Runs Per Game(0.98) 28th Runs (428) 30th Hit By Pitch (74) 33rd Slugging Percentage (.453) 37th Hits (619) 37th Triples Per Game (0.33) 39th Doubles (117) 39th On-Base Percentage (.388)   10th Doubles (131) 19th Doubles Per Game (2.15) 24th Home Runs (53) 24th Runs (402) 30th Slugging Percentage (.440) 33rd Home Runs Per Game (0.87) 35th Scoring (6.6) 27th Hits (612) 44th Base on Balls (251) 44th Hit By Pitch (69)   7th Base on Balls (291) 14th Home Runs (43) 17th Runs (387) 20th Home Runs Per Game (0.7) 21st Triples (21) 26th Scoring (6.3) 34th Doubles (109)   5th Home Runs (61) 5th Home Runs Per Game (1.02) 18th Slugging Percentage (.445) 29th Triples (20) 31st Doubles (117) 38th Runs (377) 5th Slugging Percentage (.476) 7th Home Runs (63) 16th Doubles (124) 18th Runs (410) 18th Scoring (6.8) 20th Batting Avg. (.304) 23rd Tripes (21) 2nd Total Runs (509) 3rd Scoring (8.2) 3rd Sacrifice Flies (43) 4th Base on Balls (310) 8th Doubles (139) 9th Home Runs (60) 10th Home Runs Per Game (2.24) 12th Doubles Per Game (2.24) 15th Hit by Pitch (88) 24th Total Hits (644) 27th Batting Avg. (.306) 12th Doubles Per Game (2.65) 13th Slugging Percentage (.541) 18th Home Runs Per Game (1.51) 5th Slugging Percentage (.582) 7th Home Runs (102) 7th Home Runs Per Game (1.85) 7th Scoring Per Game (9.4) 10th Total Runs (515) 12th Batting Avg. (.343) 14th Doubles (139 or 2.53/game) 18th Total Hits (681) 24th Batting Avg. (.323) 37th Slugging Percentage (.492) 41st Runs Scored Per Game (7.7) 43rd Doubles (2.23/game) 46th Total Hits (655) 9th Home Runs Per Game (1.25) 13th Scoring Per Game (7.6) 23rd Doubles Per Game (2.17) 24th Slugging Percentage Per Game (.479) 27th Triples Per Game (.36) 4th Home Runs Per Game (1.54) 5th Slugging Percentage (.518) 6th Triples Per Game (.50) 10th Runs Scored Per Game (8.4) 15th Doubles Per Game (2.25) 3rd Doubles Per Game (2.69) 7th Batting Avg. (.329) 9th Slugging Percentage (.510) 10th Triples (.45/game) 17th Scoring Per Game (7.9 runs) Prior to coming to Dallas Baptist, Heefner was an assistant coach at Creighton University and the University of Northern Iowa.  While at Creighton, he was the hitting and catching coach.  Under his guidance in 2004, the Bluejay hitters saw an improvement in nearly every statistical category from the 2003 season, including a 24-point increase in batting average.  Defensively, the Bluejay catchers contributed to Creightons nation leading .982 fielding percentage, which at the time was the second best in NCAA history. While working with the hitters at University of Northern Iowa, his 2003 team led the Missouri Valley Conference in 10 offensive categories in conference play.  His 2002 squad also had the highest batting average of any team in conference play. As a player, Heefner was named an All-American in his junior and senior seasons at Olivet Nazarene University, an NAIA school in Kankakee, Illinois.  He led the nation in both homeruns (22) and RBIs (102) in 2000.  Prior to transferring to Olivet Nazarene University, Heefner played two years at the University of Northern Iowa. Heefner received his bachelors degree from Olivet Nazarene University and his masters degree from the University of Northern Iowa.  Heefner and his wife, Liz, reside in Cedar Hill, Texas, with their five sons: Luke (14), David (11), Zachariah (9), Titus (8) and Jacob (2). The Heefners attend Matthew Road Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, Texas.