Dan Heefner Explained

Dan Heefner
Current Title:Head coach
Current Team:Dallas Baptist
Current Conference:Conference USA
Current Record:652–326–1
Player Years1:1998–1999
Player Team1:Northern Iowa
Player Years2:2000–2001
Player Team2:Olivet Nazarene
Coach Years1:2002–2003
Coach Team1:Northern Iowa (asst.)
Coach Years2:2004
Coach Team2:Creighton (asst.)
Coach Years3:2005–2007
Coach Team3:Dallas Baptist (asst.)
Coach Years4:2008–present
Coach Team4:Dallas Baptist
Overall Record:652–326–1
Tournament Record:NCAA: 24–28
MVC: 18–7
WAC: 2–2
C-USA 7–1
Championships:C-USA tournament

(2024)
C-USA Regular season: (2023)
4 MVC tournament: (2014, 2016, 2017, 2021)
MVC Regular season: (2016)

Awards:2 ABCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year: (2008, 2011)
2 Independent Coach of the Year: (2008, 2009)
2 MVC Coach of the Year: (2016, 2021)
2× C-USA Coach of the Year: (2023, 2024)

Dan Heefner is an American college baseball coach who has been the head coach of Dallas Baptist since the start of the 2008 season. Under Heefner, the Patriots have reached ten NCAA tournaments, including a Super Regional in 2011. An Olivet Nazarene graduate, Heefner played two years of baseball for the Tigers after transferring from Northern Iowa.[1]

Coaching career

Northern Iowa

Heefner began his coaching career at Northern Iowa (UNI), where he worked under head coach Rick Heller from 2002 to 2003. The Panthers had a 30-win season in 2003 and made the MVC tournament in both seasons. Heefner earned his master's degree from the university in 2003.

Creighton

After UNI, Heefner spent the 2004 at Creighton under head coach Ed Servais. In Servais' first season as head coach, the team went 35–24 and finished second in the MVC.[2]

Dallas Baptist

Heefner was named an assistant at independent Dallas Baptist under Eric Newman for the 2005 season. When Newman left to become an assistant at Nebraska after the 2007 season, Heefner was promoted to head coach.[3]

In his first season as head coach, 2008, the Patriots qualified for their first NCAA tournament with a 37–17 regular season. They were the first independent other than Miami (FL) to do so since Cal State Northridge in 1992. As the second seed at the Houston Regional, they went 0–2, losing 9–5 games to Houston and Illinois–Chicago.

The Patriots again made NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2012, both 40-win seasons. They made their deepest run in 2011. As the third seed in the Fort Worth Regional, the team won its opening games against Oklahoma and host TCU to advance to the regional finals. There, it dropped its first game against Oral Roberts but defeated the Eagles in a decisive game seven to advance to the Super Regionals against fellow three seed California. There, the Patriots were swept in two games.[4] [5] [6] [7]

After playing in the Western Athletic Conference in 2013, Dallas Baptist reached the NCAA tournament in 2014, its first season in the Missouri Valley Conference. It went 36–18 (14–7 MVC) in the regular season, tying for second in the conference. It won the MVC tournament, defeating Illinois State in the title game. The Patriots then went 0–2 at the Fort Worth Regional.[8] [9] [10]

Head coaching record

Below is a table of Heefner's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[11] [12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dan Heefner. DBUPatriots.com. July 31, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140528014208/http://dbupatriots.com/coaches.aspx?path=baseball&rc=196. May 28, 2014. dead.
  2. Web site: 2014 Missouri Valley Baseball Record Book . MVC.org . July 20, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714125756/http://mvc.org/baseball/baseballrecords.pdf . July 14, 2014 . dead .
  3. News: Fitt . Aaron . Coaching Carousel Was Kept Busy in June . July 31, 2014 . BaseballAmerica.com . July 3, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140808044211/http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/college/news/2008/264423.html . August 8, 2014 . dead .
  4. News: Kersey . Jason . Oklahoma Baseball: Could OU Go After Dallas Baptist's Dan Heefner? . July 31, 2014 . NewsOK.com . June 15, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140809204141/http://newsok.com/oklahoma-baseball-could-ou-go-after-dallas-baptists-dan-heefner/article/3852216 . August 9, 2014 . dead .
  5. News: Ubben . David . Patriots Succeed in Player Development . July 31, 2014 . ESPN.com . June 9, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140810154744/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=6639145 . August 10, 2014 . live .
  6. News: Heefner Named Baseball America Top Coach Under 40. July 31, 2014. MyDuncanville.com. January 6, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140812193711/http://myduncanville.com/heefner-named-baseball-america-top-coach-under-40/. August 12, 2014. live.
  7. News: Ryan . Sean . Patriot Games: Dallas Baptist Relishes Trip to Super Regionals . July 31, 2014 . CollegeBaseballInsider.com . June 8, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140810022130/http://www.collegebaseballinsider.com/11Postseason/DBU060811.html . August 10, 2014 . dead .
  8. News: Dallas Baptist Wins Missouri Valley Title in First Year as Conference Member . July 31, 2014 . NCAA.com . Dallas Baptist Athletics Communications . May 25, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140808045516/http://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2014-05-25/dallas-baptist-wins-missouri-valley-title-first-year-conference . August 8, 2014 . dead .
  9. News: Carlton . Chuck . Dallas Baptist Returns to Postseason with Different Approach . July 31, 2014 . DallasNews.com . May 29, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140808050004/http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/other-colleges/20140529-dallas-baptist-baseball-returns-to-postseason-with-different-approach.ece . August 8, 2014 . dead .
  10. News: Fitt . Aaron . Dispatches from the Heartland: Dallas Baptist . July 31, 2014 . BaseballAmerica.com . March 24, 2014 . https://archive.today/20140806185221/http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/dispatches-from-the-heartland-dallas-baptist/ . August 6, 2014 . dead .
  11. News: 2014 Dallas Baptist Baseball Media Guide . July 31, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141108090906/http://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=196913 . November 8, 2014 . dead .
  12. Web site: 2014 Missouri Valley Baseball Standings . D1Baseball.com . July 31, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140330114125/http://www.d1baseball.com/conferences/standings_mvc.htm . March 30, 2014 . dead .

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