Dave Hieb is the longest tenured athletic staff member at the University of Northwestern, entering his 35th year as an athletic trainer in 2024-25.
Coach Hieb was the head baseball coach for 28 years at UNW. Coach Hieb has led the Eagles to three Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Championships in 1996, 2021, and 2022. The Eagles participated in the NCCAA National Tournament in both 2007 and 2022, and the NCAA National Tournament in 2021. Under Coach Hieb, the Eagles have had multiple NAIA, NCCAA, and NCAA All-Region and All-American Players.
In 2021, Coach Hieb led the Eagles through the greatest season in program history. UNW went 35-12, which set the record for wins in a season. Early in the season, the 2021 squad made it clear that this was a special group by defeating UW-Whitewater and St. Thomas who were both nationally ranked opponents. Once the UMAC schedule started, Hieb’s group got on a roll and never looked back. The Eagles rolled through their conference opponents and finished 15-1, winning the conference title for the first time since 1996. As a result, the Eagles earned the right to host the Conference Tournament. In their three Conference Tournament games, the Eagles outscored their opponents 36-11 on route to winning the Tournament Championship and earning their first ever NCAA Tournament Appearance. Additionally, the Eagles were rewarded for their great season by being named a host for the NCAA Regional. Northwestern won their first two NCAA Tournament games in program history, defeating Misericordia University and Saint Mary’s University.
On the final day of the 2021 regional, the Eagles played a game that will go down as one of the great contests in Northwestern sports history. UNW faced off in a rematch against Misericordia and the game went into extra innings. The Eagles trailed by a run in the 10th before scoring in the bottom-half of the frame to stay alive, and then trailed by two in the 12th before Andrew Simonson sent a two-out full-count pitch through the left side to drive in a pair of runs. Finally, in the 13th inning, a lead-off Keegan Vercoe triple set up a Ben Spores walk-off sacrifice fly and the Eagles advanced to the Regional Championship Game.
Coach Hieb holds many records from his time as the head baseball coach at UNW. He holds the top spot in UNW history for all-time career wins (505), seasons coached, and most games coached (1,034). He has nine 20 win seasons, two 30 win seasons, and has recorded nine of the top ten win/loss records in UNW history.
Coach Hieb holds two bachelor’s degrees from St. Thomas (MN) in athletic training and physical education. He also has a Master’s Degree from Saint Mary’s University in Education and Teaching. Coach Hieb is certified by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association and is licensed by the Minnesota Medical Board.
In addition to his work with UNW, Hieb has worked in the past with the Minnesota Twins Summer Instructional Program, MYAS Instructional Clinics, and serves on the Woodbury Athletic Association Baseball Board, and has been a featured speaker at numerous Baseball and Sports Medicine conferences throughout the Midwest.
Coach Hieb currently resides in Woodbury with his wife, Layne, and has two grown children.
