RADNOR, Pa.—Nick Weisheipl has been hired as Cabrini's first baseball coach, Director of Athletics and Recreation Brad Koch recently announced. Baseball, the College's 17th intercollegiate sport, will begin the first non-traditional season in fall 2016, with the first traditional season to start in spring 2017.
"After an extensive search, we are pleased to welcome Nick to Cabrini College as the baseball program's first head coach," Koch said. "His diverse background across all levels will serve him well as he orients himself to this department and the College's mission.
"Nick clearly articulated a plan for program development that includes academic benchmarks, community service initiatives, and fundraising opportunities that will benefit this program and its student-athletes for years to come.
"We look forward to the first season of competition with Nick leading the way."
Weisheipl comes to Cabrini after a career that has spanned Divisions I, II, III, NAIA, and the Northwoods Summer Collegiate League.
Weisheipl spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at West Chester University. With his assistance, the Rams advanced to the 2015 NCAA Atlantic Regional, while lowering the team's earned run average nearly 0.7 runs per game and raising the batting average more than 30 points.
Prior to West Chester, Weisheipl was the pitching coach, recruiting coordinator, and director of camps at Villanova University. During his time at Villanova, Weisheipl developed four pitchers who were drafted into professional baseball, significantly increased youth and prospect camp attendance, assisted in summer league placements, and spearheaded national-level recruiting.
Weisheipl arrived at Villanova after spending three seasons as head coach at Division II/NAIA Notre Dame College in Cleveland, Ohio, where he led the program to its first winning season and only back-to-back winning seasons in program history. In addition to an 18-victory improvement between his first and second seasons, Weisheipl also developed the Falcons into a NAIA Scholar Team in 2011, after earning a team GPA of over 3.0.
"It's a tremendous honor to be selected as the first head baseball coach at Cabrini College," Weisheipl said. "I want to thank Director of Athletics Brad Koch and the search committee for the incredible opportunity to launch Cavaliers Baseball and make it a point of pride for the Cabrini campus community.
"Starting a program isn't without challenges, but the Ccollege's commitment to positioning student-athletes and coaches for success on and off the field will greatly accelerate my efforts. My wife, daughter, and I are excited to be Cavaliers!"
In addition to coaching stints at Division III University of Wisconsin-Stout and Clarke College, Weisheipl also coached three seasons in the prestigious Northwoods Summer Collegiate League in Wisconsin. During that time, Weisheipl helped the Eau Claire Express win the Northwood South Division title and coached Major League Baseball (MLB) players including Jordan Zimmermann and Kole Calhoun.
Weisheipl entered the coaching profession after completing a playing career that took him from Division III Beloit College in Wisconsin to Regensburg, Germany. While playing professionally as a shortstop and pitcher for the Regensburg Legionaere, Weisheipl led the league in runs, walks, and on-base percentage while leading the club to the 2003 Bayern Pokal (Bavarian State) and Deutsche Pokal (National) championships.
Weisheipl played his collegiate baseball at Beloit, where he was a true student-athlete. Weisheipl was a two-time Academic All-Conference performer, while boasting a career batting average of .333 and graduating with six program records.
Weisheipl graduated cum laude from Beloit with bachelor's degrees in History and Elementary Education and earned a master's degree in Education from Notre Dame College.
Cabrini will compete in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC), becoming the eighth institution in the 12-member league to compete in baseball. The Cavaliers will join Cairn University, Centenary College, Gwynedd Mercy University, Immaculata University, Keystone College, Marywood University, and Neumann University in CSAC competition.
The CSAC boasts a history of baseball success, with nine All-Americans and 49 All-Region honors since 2010. Eight former CSAC baseball players have also been selected in the MLB draft.
Keystone has claimed each of the last seven league titles, topping Neumann or Gwynedd Mercy in all seven championships. The Giants have represented the conference well, boasting 10 NCAA Tournament victories over the last five years.