How does Dallas Baptist compare to the bigger school in Texas? Schools such as Baylor, Texas, A&M, and TCU.
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I think they compare favorably to those other schools. The biggest drawback is that they are not in a conference so they have to earn an at-large bid to get into the NCAA tournament. Of course with the schedule they play, and the amount of success they have had against the aforementioned schools, DBU would be a good place to play.
Coach Heefner does a great job. His assistants work hard in regards to recruiting. They recruit good people as well as good players.
Coach Heefner does a great job. His assistants work hard in regards to recruiting. They recruit good people as well as good players.
Baseball has had much success. Heefner is one of the best coaches I have ever met - and a good man to boot. He is tough but fair and knows his baseball. I know many players on the team and their parents, and they are a good group of people....lots of talent in the players. They are good at recruiting there. A scout told us once - "It's a launching pad."
Campus is much smaller than the schools you mentioned - quaint and beautiful set in the hillside. Nice facilities. Fairly new baseball clubhouse - very nice. Building new housing yearly as the growth continues.
Campus is much smaller than the schools you mentioned - quaint and beautiful set in the hillside. Nice facilities. Fairly new baseball clubhouse - very nice. Building new housing yearly as the growth continues.
The coaching staff is, IMHO, the best asset that DBU has to offer. They put a huge amount of effort into training and developing their players in order to maximize their potential. In addition, they work hard to build character in their players.
Here is what others have to say about the coaches and the program:
From Rivals.com -
Title of article: Rising Coaches Making National Waves
DAN HEEFNER – DALLAS BAPTIST
Life couldn't be much better for Dallas Baptist coach Dan Heefner. When previous head coach Eric Newman left DBU last year for a job on the Nebraska staff, it opened the door for Heefner. The relationship between the Patriots and Heefner has already proved to be tremendous. In year one, Heefner guided the Patriots to new heights on the national stage. DBU, an independent, played a tough schedule and finished the regular season with an overall record of 37-19. But most impressive, the Patriots earned the No. 2 seed at the College Station Regional. The fact that Heefner was able to accomplish that goal in year one is amazing. Though DBU has had a wealth of success in the past, it has been unable to make a national statement. You can no longer say that about the Patriots. The future is incredibly bright for Heefner's program. They must compete with Texas Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and others for players in the Dallas area, but DBU now has a strong leg to stand on. The Patriots aren't finished making waves.
Here are links to other articles on the program:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/baseball/2008-05-27-NCAAbaseball_N.htm
http://www.pingbaseball.com/archive/coach_dan_heefner.php
http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2008/07/26/dan-heefne...-the-year/#more-3940
Here is what others have to say about the coaches and the program:
From Rivals.com -
Title of article: Rising Coaches Making National Waves
DAN HEEFNER – DALLAS BAPTIST
Life couldn't be much better for Dallas Baptist coach Dan Heefner. When previous head coach Eric Newman left DBU last year for a job on the Nebraska staff, it opened the door for Heefner. The relationship between the Patriots and Heefner has already proved to be tremendous. In year one, Heefner guided the Patriots to new heights on the national stage. DBU, an independent, played a tough schedule and finished the regular season with an overall record of 37-19. But most impressive, the Patriots earned the No. 2 seed at the College Station Regional. The fact that Heefner was able to accomplish that goal in year one is amazing. Though DBU has had a wealth of success in the past, it has been unable to make a national statement. You can no longer say that about the Patriots. The future is incredibly bright for Heefner's program. They must compete with Texas Tech, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and others for players in the Dallas area, but DBU now has a strong leg to stand on. The Patriots aren't finished making waves.
Here are links to other articles on the program:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/baseball/2008-05-27-NCAAbaseball_N.htm
http://www.pingbaseball.com/archive/coach_dan_heefner.php
http://thecollegebaseballblog.com/2008/07/26/dan-heefne...-the-year/#more-3940
A few additional tidbits about Coach Heefner:
He is an incredibly gifted hitting instructor and is very intent in focusing on seeming minutiae to bring out the best in each hitter. Today, for example, he compared a video analysis of each DBU hitter to video analyses of successful MLB hitters. Frame by frame, he broke down 6 key elements of each hitter's swing. He has an uncanny way of conveying key information to help each of his players make the necessary adjustments.
Here are the team's national offensive rankings for the past 4 years that Coach Heefner has been at DBU:
2005 - Ranked 3rd Doubles (2.69/game), 7th Batting Avg. (.329), 9th Slugging % (.510), 10th Triples (.45/game), 17th Scoring (7.9 runs/game)
2006 - 4th Homeruns (1.54/game), 5th Slugging % (.518), 6th Triples (.50/game), 10th Runs Scored (8.4/game), 15th Doubles (2.25/game)
2007 - 9th Homeruns (1.25/game), 13th Scoring (7.6/game), 23rd Doubles (2.17/game), 24th Slugging % (.479/game), 27th Triples (.36/game)
2008 - 24th Batting Avg. (.323), 37th Slugging % (.492), 41st Runs Scored (7.7/game), 43rd Doubles (2.23/game), 46th Hits (655)
That Coach Heefner has been able to achieve this type of success with players who were typically not blue-chip prospects makes his expertise in hitting instruction even more impressive.
Incidentally, Coach Heefner is the brother-in-law of former DBU shortstop Ben Zobrist, who started in a couple of World Series games for the Tampa Bay Rays, and Jon Gilmore, a high school infielder who was selected 33rd overall in the 2008 draft.
He is an incredibly gifted hitting instructor and is very intent in focusing on seeming minutiae to bring out the best in each hitter. Today, for example, he compared a video analysis of each DBU hitter to video analyses of successful MLB hitters. Frame by frame, he broke down 6 key elements of each hitter's swing. He has an uncanny way of conveying key information to help each of his players make the necessary adjustments.
Here are the team's national offensive rankings for the past 4 years that Coach Heefner has been at DBU:
2005 - Ranked 3rd Doubles (2.69/game), 7th Batting Avg. (.329), 9th Slugging % (.510), 10th Triples (.45/game), 17th Scoring (7.9 runs/game)
2006 - 4th Homeruns (1.54/game), 5th Slugging % (.518), 6th Triples (.50/game), 10th Runs Scored (8.4/game), 15th Doubles (2.25/game)
2007 - 9th Homeruns (1.25/game), 13th Scoring (7.6/game), 23rd Doubles (2.17/game), 24th Slugging % (.479/game), 27th Triples (.36/game)
2008 - 24th Batting Avg. (.323), 37th Slugging % (.492), 41st Runs Scored (7.7/game), 43rd Doubles (2.23/game), 46th Hits (655)
That Coach Heefner has been able to achieve this type of success with players who were typically not blue-chip prospects makes his expertise in hitting instruction even more impressive.
Incidentally, Coach Heefner is the brother-in-law of former DBU shortstop Ben Zobrist, who started in a couple of World Series games for the Tampa Bay Rays, and Jon Gilmore, a high school infielder who was selected 33rd overall in the 2008 draft.
Good grief. Common guys!! DBU does not compare favorably with the elite D1 teams in Texas. What are you smoking!!
DBU is coming off a terrific season that they can truly build upon! My son, a high school sophmore attended Coach Heefner's Elite Prospects Camp last weekend and the camp was First Class! As our family begins the journey of showcase events, my son greatly appreicated the one on one instruction, the coaching staff, and the experience competing against 59 other awesome ballplayers! I would recommend DBU's camps for future consideration when selecting a camp to attend! Go Patriots and Best of Luck in the spring!
quote:Good grief. Common guys!! DBU does not compare favorably with the elite D1 teams in Texas. What are you smoking!!
In past years, Baylor, Texas A&M, and TCU all have outshone DBU. They are fantastic programs and worthy of all the accolades they receive.
You have to realize that DBU has been a D1 program for only 5 years. But in those 5 years, it has quickly gained momentum.
Looking at this past season, here's an objective comparison to what many consider the top 5 programs in the state:
DBU - 37-19 record, 2-seed in College Station regional, 38 RPI (Boyd's World)
Baylor - 32-26, did not receive regional invite, 50 RPI
Texas A&M - 46-19 record, 1-seed in College Station regional/competed at super-regional, 17 RPI
TCU - 44-19 record, 3-seed at Stillwater regional, 33 RPI
Rice - 47-13 record, 1-seed at Houston regional/defeated A&M at super regional/competed at CWS, 4 RPI
Texas - 39-22 record, 2-seed at Houston regional, 22 RPI
Incidentally, last year DBU defeated Baylor 1 of 2 times, beat A&M 1 of 3 times, lost to TCU both times they played, defeated Rice both times they played, and did not play Texas due to rain cancellation. It certainly seems as if they can hang with the big boys.
Linedrive, You may have spoken a bit prematurely (without the facts.) Unless you have some inside information that you are not sharing, here is something to consider...A quality school, with a quality baseball staff, with a quality facility....not ELITE, but quality.
All young DI's would love to make the splash that DBU has made in the past few years.
All young DI's would love to make the splash that DBU has made in the past few years.
quote:Incidentally, last year DBU defeated Baylor 1 of 2 times, beat A&M 1 of 3 times, lost to TCU both times they played, defeated Rice both times they played, and did not play Texas due to rain cancellation.
quote:It certainly seems as if they can hang with the big boys
Dose any one know if DBU is going to try to join a conference?
quote:Dose any one know if DBU is going to try to join a conference?
http://collegebaseball.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2308&...053&sid=1169&style=2
Dallas Baptist Becoming Program to Admire..
http://collegebaseball.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2308&...992&sid=1169&style=2
I stand corrected!
http://collegebaseball.rivals.com/showmsg.asp?fid=2308&...992&sid=1169&style=2
I stand corrected!
It will continue to be difficult for DBU to join a good conference when they do not participate in several sports at the D-1 level. What they did last year in baseball was very impressive. Their ability to maintain that level will be interesting to watch.
Reggie hit the nail on the head. And as the top programs are somewhat indistinguishable (is that a word, collikar?) in terms of money, they lure players with facilities, conference championships, shots at Omaha, and pro opportunities. Generally speaking, the baseball facilties are built with football money. I am not saying that these are the only factors....obviously, many/most may care more about the education, opportunities for playing time, a "good fit", etc. But, most of the "big" conferences require participation in many sports.
My middle son graduated from DBU. I love the education he received from caring, Christian teachers. I admire their baseball program and what it has to offer, especially for Texas kids and their families. They play a SOLID schedule and have a great coach. DBU has been down the D1 road before.....I think they have smart people that will make smart decisions when it comes to joining a conference.
JMO.
My middle son graduated from DBU. I love the education he received from caring, Christian teachers. I admire their baseball program and what it has to offer, especially for Texas kids and their families. They play a SOLID schedule and have a great coach. DBU has been down the D1 road before.....I think they have smart people that will make smart decisions when it comes to joining a conference.
JMO.
quote:indistinguisable
No, but indistinguishable is.
