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Eric Podbelski

Head Coach, Baseball

Email: epodbels@wheatonma.edu
Office: Clark Athletic Center
Phone: 508-286-3394
Fax: 508-286-3323

Profile

Finishing his 12th season as head coach, Eric Podbelski has built Wheaton's baseball program from the ground up, accumulating one of the highest winning percentages among active NCAA Division III coaches with an impressive 338-133-4 (.716) mark through Wheaton's first 11 years of varsity play. He and the program earned their 300th win on May 4, 2007, at the University of Southern Maine.

In 2008, Podbelski led Wheaton to its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in nine seasons, as the Lyons captured their ninth New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament title in the league's 10-year history. Wheaton has also either won outright or shared the conference's regular season crown nine times. The 2006 squad made the school's first national championship game appearance while going 42-10 and recording the highest win total in team history.

In addition to winning NEWMAC Tournament titles from 1999-2003 and 2005-2008, the Lyons also hosted the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament in 1999 and qualified for their first ECAC Tourney in 1998, the team's first year of varsity action.

Podbelski was awarded New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Division III Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2007, which earned him a coaching position at the NEIBA All-Star game held at Boston's Fenway Park. He has also been named NEWMAC Coach of the Year eight times.

In the past eight seasons, Podbelski has produced seven All-America selections and six professional players, including two Major League Baseball (MLB) signees. Wheaton's lone MLB draftee, Chris Denorfia '02, was taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round in June 2002. Denorfia has swiftly made his way up the professional ranks, most notably his 2005 jump from Double-A Chattanooga to the big leagues. Recalled to Cincinnati in 2006 from Triple-A Louisville and traded to Oakland in 2007, Denorfia is currently an outfielder with the Athletics.

Since his arrival at Wheaton, Podbelski has overseen a college-wide effort to establish the school's baseball program, resulting in some outstanding recruiting classes. In addition to his baseball coaching duties, Podbelski joined the NCAA Tournament regional selection committee in the spring of 2006. He has also served on the ECAC Tournament selection committee.

A 1991 graduate of Brandeis University, Podbelski finished his career as one of the school's all-time winningest pitchers with 23 victories. After a junior year in which he was named to three postseason all-star teams, he was invited to play for the Falmouth Commodores in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

Podbelski went on to serve as assistant coach at Brandeis for five years. Under his direction, Podbelski's pitching staff enjoyed one of the most successful stretches in school history. The pitchers were among the national leaders in team ERA four times, including in 1994 when the staff compiled an ERA of 2.33, which led Division III.

In high school, Podbelski was a standout baseball player at Plymouth-Carver Regional in Massachusetts. Named to numerous all-star and all-scholastic teams, he capped his high school career by being selected as a Golden Spikes Award finalist and playing in the 1987 United States Olympic Festival as a member of the USA East team.

Podbelski and his wife, Amy, reside in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with twin girls Erin and Shea.

The Podbelski File

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 7/16/08.
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