Wheaton Ranked 17th in Final ABCA National Poll
Meet the Coach
Eric Podbelski
Head Coach
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
| Year | Overall | League | Highlight(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 23-12 | n/a | ECAC Tournament |
| 1999 | 28-14 | 10-2 | ECAC Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2000 | 28-12 | 11-1 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2001 | 31-11 | 10-2 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2002 | 37-9-1 | 12-0 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2003 | 27-10-2 | 10-2 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2004 | 21-20-1 | 9-3 | NEWMAC Tournament |
| 2005 | 33-12 | 10-2 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2006 | 42-10 | 11-1 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2007 | 34-13 | 9-3 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| 2008 | 34-10 | 9-3 | NCAA Tourn., NEWMAC Champs |
| Totals | 338-133-4 | 101-19 | 11 Seasons |
Zach Brown
Assistant Coach
Zach Brown begins his seventh season as the top assistant coach at Wheaton, where he served as the only four-year captain in program history before graduating in 2002. In addition to his duties as the recruiting coordinator, Brown instructs Lyon hitters and outfielders, as well as serving as the third-base coach.
Playing in 116 career games, Brown was a member of four New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season and tournament champion teams and helped the Lyons qualify for their first three NCAA Tournament appearances. During Brown's junior season, he hit a career-high .319 with 26 RBI in 29 starts.
Brown earned NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors during each his junior and senior years before graduating magna cum laude with a degree in psychology. He transferred from Division I Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, after attending the college on a baseball scholarship.
Brown works for his alma mater in the Office of the Registrar as the assistant for student systems.
Ryan Parker
Assistant Coach
One of the original members of Wheaton's first varsity team in 1998, Ryan Parker is now in his fifth season as an assistant coach. In the summer of 2008, Parker was on the Harwich Mariners staff of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), where he assisted with the pitchers.
This is Parker's second coaching stint with the Lyons, as he assisted in 2003 before returning in 2006 to work primarily with the pitching staff. During the 2004 and 2005 seasons, Parker was the assistant coach at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. At Roger Williams, Parker developed the pitching staff in addition to recruiting.
A 2001 Wheaton graduate with a degree in sociology, Parker appeared in 46 career games over four years, making 35 relief appearances while posting a 7-4 record. He has the distinction of being the winning pitcher in the Lyons' first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament championship game, as Parker tossed six innings during a 4-0 win over Springfield College on April 26, 1999. Parker also recorded the first save in program history, which occurred on March 20, 1998 against the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
Parker works at his alma mater as an assistant director of alumnae/i relations and annual giving.
Jeff Ambrosini
Assistant Coach
Jeff Ambrosini returns for his fourth season as a Wheaton assistant coach. The 2004 graduate played four years of baseball with the Lyons.
Ambrosini, who was the starting catcher in Wheaton's second-ever NCAA Tournament game during the 2000 season, played from 2000-01 and then 2003-04, fielding at a .983 clip in 90 career games. He hit .288 with 21 RBI as a sophomore.
The Lyons won four New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season crowns during Ambrosini's career, and Wheaton also captured three league tournament titles while making three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Andy Koocher
Assistant Coach
Andy Koocher, a 2006 Wheaton graduate and four-year member of the Blue and White baseball team, remains a member of the program this season in his third year as an assistant coach.
As the team's starting first baseman during its run to the 2006 NCAA Tournament championship game, the team captain batted .351 with 38 RBI and 12 doubles and fielded at a .988 clip. Koocher hit a career-high .387 as a junior.
During Koocher's four years, the Lyons won four New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season crowns and three league tournament titles, and made a trio of NCAA Tournament appearances. He capped his senior year by being named to the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England second team and was selected to appear in the NEIBA All-Star game at Fenway Park. Koocher finished with a .356 career batting average and .985 fielding percentage in 113 games.
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 7/16/08.
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NCAA Tournament
17-May Wheaton 9, Southern Maine 3
16-May Trinity 6, Wheaton 2
15-May Wheaton 12, Keene State 2
