Heidelberg Athletics Hall of Fame
Matt Palm coached many great teams during his 15 years as head baseball coach at Heidelberg University. But there was one that broke through for the first championship in school history. The 2003 baseball team captured the Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season title, marking the first championship of any kind for the 'Berg baseball program.
After dropping their first OAC game of the season to Wilmington, the Student Princes went on a big run, rolling off 10 consecutive conference victories, including a sweep of perennial power Marietta. They went on to finish the regular season with a 15-3 record in conference play and earned the right to host the OAC Tournament. This broke a streak 13 consecutive years that Marietta had hosted the tournament. The 'Berg broke the 30-win mark for just the second time in school history, finishing the season with a 32-12 record.
Jon Hatfield led the team with a .425 batting average on the year with 10 home runs and 46 RBI. That earned him American Baseball Coaches Association second team All-American honors, which made him just the second All-American in 'Berg baseball history. Pitcher Ryan Gelhaus ('05) joined Hatfield as an All-Region performer with a 3.19 ERA on the season while sporting a 6-3 record on the mound. Gelhaus also ranked second on the team with 53 hits on the season while batting .366.
Brock Gankosky ('03), who was a first-team All-OAC selection, also made his mark as a part of the 'Berg offense, batting .381 on the season while bashing seven home runs and driving in 33 runs. Fellow first team All-OAC honoree Bill Sheets ('06) led the team with 65 innings pitched on the year while going 6-1. A total of eight Student Princes earned All-OAC accolades after the 2003 season.
(This profile appeared in the Hall of Fame program.)
