Pitching and defense have quickly become calling cards of the University of Evansville baseball program over the last two years, thanks in large part to second-year head coach David Seifert.
Using the same attention to detail and workman-like approach which helped him succeed on the mound at Illinois in the early 1990s, Seifert has guided the UE pitching staff to two of the program's lowest ERAs over the last two years. In 2006 when he helped engineer UE's run to the Missouri Valley Conference championship and NCAA Tournament as pitching coach, Seifert helped Evansville rank 12th nationally with a 3.39 team ERA. Last season, Seifert's Purple Aces ranked 24th nationally with a 3.72 ERA, while yielding just 20 home runs, a school record.
The Purple Aces have also set school records for highest defensive fielding percentage (.975 in 2006) and fewest errors committed (63 in 2007) over the last two years. Combine those numbers with an offense which has ranked among the best in the MVC over the last two seasons, and it is no wonder why Seifert guided UE to its third 35-win season in a row last spring.
Seifert was named the 11th head baseball coach in UE history on July 24, 2006. He set a school record for victories by a first-year coach last season with 35, including picking up victories over College World Series participant Louisville and NCAA Super Regional participants Mississippi and Wichita State on the road. Seifert's blueprint for success might conclude with pitching and defense, but it begins with strong recruiting, something the 36-year-old dugout boss is known for.
Beginning just his third year at UE, Seifert has landed three Major League Baseball draftees out of high school, three junior college All-Americans, as well as “Mr. Baseball” from the state of Michigan on the recruiting trail. His first recruiting class as head coach ranked 21st nationally by Baseball America, and this season’s incoming class ranked fourth overall among teams in the Upper Midwest by Baseball America.
Seifert came to UE in July, 2005 after five successful years as both a head coach and an assistant coach at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois. As both an assistant and a head coach, Seifert helped the Cobras reach four National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II World Series. He was named the 2002 NJCAA National Coach of the Year after helping Parkland to the Division II National Championship and a school-best 55-9 overall record as head coach. In three seasons as head coach at Parkland College, Seifert compiled a 145-42 overall record.
Prior to working at Parkland, Seifert spent the 2000 season as the pitching coach at Northern Illinois University. As pitching coach, he helped trim over three full runs off of the team's earned run average. In fact, Seifert's teams have not posted a team earned run average above 4.15 since the 2000 season.
Seifert began his professional career in 1994 as a baseball operations assistant for the Oakland Athletics Baseball Company. He quickly worked his way through the Athletics' organization, as he was elevated to Assistant Director of Scouting in December, 1996, and to the Assistant to the General Manager in October, 1998. While serving as the Assistant Director of Scouting from 1996 through 1998, Seifert helped coordinate Oakland's draft plans, including selecting such current Major League Players as Eric Chavez, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Eric Byrnes, Ryan Drese, Kevin Gregg, Eric DuBose, and Gerald Laird.
Seifert was a two-time Academic Big Ten selection as a pitcher at the University of Illinois from 1991 through 1993. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Illinois in May, 1993. David and his wife, Sara, were married in June, 2006 and currently reside in Evansville.
What Others Are Saying About David Seifert
"Congratulations to the University of Evansville on having the tremendous foresight and vision to hire David Seifert. David's passion and intelligence will serve him and the university well as it continues to develop a nationally-prominent Division I college baseball program. Having had the good fortune of working side-by-side with David, I believe it is only a matter of time before he is widely recognized as one of the very best college coaches in the country. He's that good."
--Billy Beane
Vice President and General Manager of the Oakland Athletics
"David has a great baseball mind and a great passion for the sport. I think that he will make a great head coach at the college level because of the fact that he is a great communicator, he is very thorough, and he is always well prepared. When you bring those things to the table, along with his passion for the sport, you will be very difficult to beat as both a coach and as a team.
"From the pitching side of things, I've talked a lot of baseball with David and we've talked about pitching and shared our thoughts about what it takes to be a great pitcher. He has a great mind and a great understanding of what it takes to become a great pitcher, and I think that he will be able to communicate that well to his players."
--Dave Stewart
Former Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher and pitching coach, and current sports agent
"David has a great understanding of the type of student-athlete who is a good fit with the University of Evansville. Plus, he is an excellent recruiting coordinator and pitching coach. His recruiting efforts helped put us on the national map. I couldn't think of a better fit. It's a great hire for UE."
--Dave Schrage
Former UE head baseball coach and current head coach at the University of Notre Dame
"I am excited to see that Coach Seifert will be taking over the program. I know he will continue to build on the success that he has been a part of over the last few years. I am looking forward to watching and following the success of the University of Evansville Purple Aces because the program is in great hands."
--Jamey Carroll
Current member of the Cleveland Indians and former University of Evansville baseball player (1994-96)
Seifert's Year-By-Year Head Coaching Record
Year School Record
2002 Parkland 55-9*
2003 Parkland 50-14
2004 Parkland 40-19
2007 Evansville 35-23
Division I Record: 35-23, 1 Year
Overall Record: 180-65, 4 Years
*=won NJCAA Division II National Championship
