California State University Northridge Athletics
CSUN Hall of Famer Bob Hiegert Returns to Matador Field
10/30/2015 1:48:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHRIDGE, CA---
CSUN Baseball welcomed back a familiar face to Matador Field last week as former head coach Bob Hiegert returned to CSUN to speak to the Matador coaching staff and student-athletes about his tenure with the program and the history of the school's baseball program. A CSUN Hall of Famer, Hiegert coached the Matadors for 18 seasons from 1967 to 1984 and helped lead the program to a pair of NCAA National Championships in 1970 and 1984.
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"Coach Hiegert talking about CSUN Baseball is storytelling from the heart," said head coach Greg Moore. "He has a gift that allows him to give both history and present-day meaning. There's a good lesson in each story. He talked about how CSUN Baseball began, along with the players and community members who built the field, 'Brick by Brick.' Coach Heigert is an incredible man. We are fortunate to have had him share."
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Directly in front of the baseball field in the bleacher section, Hiegert spoke candidly to the team about the history of CSUN Baseball and the origins of Matador Field. He touched upon the program's transition from a club sport to a collegiate sport and the work put into making CSUN a national champion during his tenure as coach.
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As members of the team sat attentively, Hiegert recanted tales of a fenceless Matador Field and how the program utilized donated poles from local little leagues to serve as an outfield barricade.
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"Since we were sitting in the bleachers, we could see the field in the background and we could picture his team working out there and building the field we know today," said sophomore right-handed pitcher Joe Ryan.
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Hiegert also touched upon the strong relationship CSUN had with the community including the Northridge Little League. In return for using materials such as the Little League's fence posts to build the team's batting cages, his teams would volunteer their time to organize baseball clinics and Hiegert would coach teams in an effort to give back.
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"It's inspiring to hear about what he did here," added Ryan. "I found it special how much he cares for the team. He said that he lives 500 miles away but he came down here to spend time to talk to us. It's awesome to hear how he built this field with how much care he put into it. Listening to him, I just thought about how honored I am now to play on this field."
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Along with the message of giving back to the community and constructing the field, Hiegert stressed the importance of putting the team's successes over personal achievements and being the most prepared as possible to play baseball.
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"Preparing properly is knowing that I can always make the routine plays," said Hiegert to the team. "The ball always finds the person who is least prepared. As a team you should want to see the team win over personal successes."
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In the CSUN record books, Hiegert's accomplishments are staggering. His 586 wins are the most by any coach in program history. In his 18 seasons, the Matador won eight California Collegiate Athletics Association championships along with the two national titles. He also earned NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in his final season in 1984 and he received District VIII Coach of the Year honors on five separate occasions.Â
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CSUN Baseball welcomed back a familiar face to Matador Field last week as former head coach Bob Hiegert returned to CSUN to speak to the Matador coaching staff and student-athletes about his tenure with the program and the history of the school's baseball program. A CSUN Hall of Famer, Hiegert coached the Matadors for 18 seasons from 1967 to 1984 and helped lead the program to a pair of NCAA National Championships in 1970 and 1984.
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"Coach Hiegert talking about CSUN Baseball is storytelling from the heart," said head coach Greg Moore. "He has a gift that allows him to give both history and present-day meaning. There's a good lesson in each story. He talked about how CSUN Baseball began, along with the players and community members who built the field, 'Brick by Brick.' Coach Heigert is an incredible man. We are fortunate to have had him share."
Â
Directly in front of the baseball field in the bleacher section, Hiegert spoke candidly to the team about the history of CSUN Baseball and the origins of Matador Field. He touched upon the program's transition from a club sport to a collegiate sport and the work put into making CSUN a national champion during his tenure as coach.
Â
As members of the team sat attentively, Hiegert recanted tales of a fenceless Matador Field and how the program utilized donated poles from local little leagues to serve as an outfield barricade.
Â
"Since we were sitting in the bleachers, we could see the field in the background and we could picture his team working out there and building the field we know today," said sophomore right-handed pitcher Joe Ryan.
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Hiegert also touched upon the strong relationship CSUN had with the community including the Northridge Little League. In return for using materials such as the Little League's fence posts to build the team's batting cages, his teams would volunteer their time to organize baseball clinics and Hiegert would coach teams in an effort to give back.
Â
"It's inspiring to hear about what he did here," added Ryan. "I found it special how much he cares for the team. He said that he lives 500 miles away but he came down here to spend time to talk to us. It's awesome to hear how he built this field with how much care he put into it. Listening to him, I just thought about how honored I am now to play on this field."
Â
Along with the message of giving back to the community and constructing the field, Hiegert stressed the importance of putting the team's successes over personal achievements and being the most prepared as possible to play baseball.
Â
"Preparing properly is knowing that I can always make the routine plays," said Hiegert to the team. "The ball always finds the person who is least prepared. As a team you should want to see the team win over personal successes."
Â
In the CSUN record books, Hiegert's accomplishments are staggering. His 586 wins are the most by any coach in program history. In his 18 seasons, the Matador won eight California Collegiate Athletics Association championships along with the two national titles. He also earned NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in his final season in 1984 and he received District VIII Coach of the Year honors on five separate occasions.Â
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Players Mentioned
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