The Buena Vista baseball team concluded it’s spring break trip to Floriday with a Monday morning 8-7 win over Benedictine. The win is coach Steve Eddie’s 500th. Now in his 23rd season at BVU his record is500-276-2.
Since taking over the program in 2001, Eddie’s squads have made 18conference tournament appearances, including a current stretch of 14straight.Eddie led the program toat least 20 victoriesin nine straight seasons from 2009-2017.It combined to go 261-153 during that stretch and made the Iowa Conference Tournament each year. Four of those years were 30-win campaigns (2016, 2104, 2011, 2010) with conference regular season and tournament championships in two of those (2014 and 2010).In 2010, Eddie guided the program to its first regular season conference championship since 1980 and its first-ever conference tournament championship.The Beavers made their second tournament championship game in three seasons in 2012.
Eddie’s teams have been tough to beat at home as well under his guidance, posting a 160-100all-time mark, including a stellar 109-52mark since synthetic field turf was installed at the complex in 2009. BVUwent 13-1 at home in 2014 and won its final 12 games while going 11-2 in 2019 and winning 10 straight.
In 2014, Eddie led BVU toarguably one of the best seasons in program history. It won a school-record 37 games (37-9) and captured both the regular season and conference tournament championships. It began the year at 11-1 and posted multiple nine-game winning streaks throughout the season. During conference play, BVUswept four of its six four-game weekend series and led the league in all three statistical categories (hitting, pitching and fielding). Following the year, Eddie was named Conference Coach of the Year for the third time and was also tabbed Central Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
In addition to its trio of automaticappearances, BVU also advanced into the Central Regional Tournament in 2011 where Eddie guided the program to the regional title, its first-ever NCAA Division III College World Series berth and to a then school-record 34 wins. He was also named Central Region Coach of the Year.
Following both the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Eddie was tabbed the State of Iowa’s Four-Year College Baseball Coach of the Year during the annual IHSBCA Awards Banquet.
Eddie has coached 97all-conference players over the last 22years, including 54First Team selections. The 2014 team landed a school-record 10 all-conference players, including seven on the first team. He has also coached 34All-Region selections since 2010 and has had an All-American in sevendifferent seasons, including a pair in 2014, and a pairin 2019.
A total of 73players have also earned Academic All-Conference accolades over the years for their excellence in the classroom.
Eddie notched his 100th career win in 2007 before surpassing 250 in 2012. He captured the 300th of his career during the team’s record-breaking season in 2014 and reached his 350th win during the 2016 season. Win No. 400 came over spring break in 2018.
A graduate of Albert City-Truesdale, Eddie went onto a playing career at the University of Iowa where he was an infielder on the Big Ten Championship team in 1990. At the conclusion of his college career, Eddie then spent seven seasons in minor league baseball with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. He reached the AAA level for part of the 1999 season with both Indianapolis (Cincinnati) and Charlotte (White Sox) before ending his career with the AA Birmingham Barons (White Sox).
After retiring in September of 1999, Eddie served as an assistant baseball and basketball coach at BVU while finishing his undergraduate degree in Business Management. He later earned his master’s degree from Buena Vista.
