SRU Good News for April 13, 2009

Messer records 750th win as The Rock's head baseball coach

Jeff Messer, Slippery Rock University head baseball coach, recorded his 750th career victory last Saturday when The Rock defeated Mercyhurst College, 13-9 in Jack Critchfield Park.

Messer now owns a 750-428-4 record in 24 seasons as The Rock's head coach.

He leads all active Pennsylvania college head coaches in career victories and ranks second on the commonwealth’s all-time wins list. Former Temple University boss James Wilson leads that list with 1,034 victories in 46 seasons.

Messer began the 2009 season ranked 12th among active NCAA Division II head coaches, 20th on the all-time D-II wins list, 22nd in winning percentage among active D-II coaches and 47th in all-time winning percentage.

Only the fourth man to serve as head baseball coach at SRU, Messer has guided Rock teams to 15 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division championships, two PSAC titles, two PSAC runner-up finishes, four NCAA regional championships and subsequent appearances in the Division II World Series and two regional runner-up honors. 

Messer-coached Rock squads have averaged 31 wins per season since 1986 and earned berths in 18 PSAC playoffs and 12 NCAA regional tournaments. 

Along the way, Messer has earned the respect of his coaching peers. He has received 10 PSAC-West "Coach of the Year" awards and four American Baseball Coaches Association regional citations. 

The most impressive honor achieved by Messer may well have been his election by his peers in January 2008 to a three-year term as the ABCA’s Division II national chair. 

He has also served the last 15 seasons as the regional chair for the ABCA’s weekly national poll and served eight seasons on the NCAA committee that determined the participants in Division II postseason competition. 

Messer will add another gem to his award collection April 25 when the Springfield College graduate is inducted into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame during festivities at the Butler Days Inn.

Messer's 2009 team will take a 26-12 overall record into a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday against Ohio Valley University at The Jack.

The Rock is 12-8 in PSAC-Western Division competition this spring and currently stands third in the division standings.

Slippery Rock University is Pennsylvania’s premier public residential university. Slippery Rock University provides students with a comprehensive learning experience that intentionally combines academic instruction with enhanced educational and learning opportunities that make a positive difference in their lives.

Editor’s Note: The successes of our friends and colleagues at the University are something we should all celebrate…and share. The University Public Relations Office has introduced a daily E-feature to share a good news story about a person, program, activity or service associated with Slippery Rock University. When good news happens to you, please let us know so we might share it with others. Submit items through campus e-mail to: GoodNews@sru.edu.