Mansfield’s current baseball team honored legendary coach Dr. John Heaps and his 1979 team with a graveside tribute, replacing a deteriorated signed baseball with a new one and placing a Hall of Fame jacket on Heaps’ gravestone. The gesture fulfilled a commitment made by the 1979 players, whose team was recently inducted into Mansfield’s Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame.

By the Numbers
  • Heaps coached Mansfield for 16 seasons, posting a 287-187 record.
  • His 1979 team finished third nationally at the NCAA Division III College World Series—the first Mansfield baseball team to reach the tournament.
  • More than 50 former players attended a 2007 remembrance ceremony for Heaps, who died that year.
Yes, But

The 1979 players couldn’t make the replacement presentation together because they had different departure times after the Hall of Fame induction. Current head coach Andrew Chalot offered to have this year’s team carry out the tribute on their behalf.

Bottom Line

The tribute links generations of Mountaineer baseball, preserving the 1979 team’s promise while recognizing the coach who helped put Mansfield on the national stage.