Rick Heines enters his third season as the leader of the Texas Lutheran Baseball program, amassing a 58-28 record over his first two seasons at the helm.

 

The ninth coach in program history, Heines enters his 11th season with the program after serving under Coach Greg Burnett for eight seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator and associate head coach from 2018-2020.

 

The 2022 season saw the Bulldogs finish 28-14 and finish second in the SCAC in the regular season fueled by the best start to SCAC conference play in program history (10-1). Texas Lutheran would finish 17-4 (.810) in the SCAC - the fifth highest conference winning percentage in program history. The team would also set program records in fielding percentage (.978) - finishing fourth in NCAA Division-III - and stolen bases (122) - finishing eighth in NCAA Division-III. Texas Lutheran would also set single game records for triples and stolen bases in 2022.

 

Two Bulldogs, Joe Jimenez and Joe Burch, would earn D3baseball.com All-Region honots, while Joe Jiminez would also earn SCAC Player of the Year, D3baseball.com All-America and  ABCA All-America and ABCA Region X Player of the Year honors.

 

In his first season at the helm of the Bulldogs, Heines led the Bulldogs to a 30-14 record - winning the 2021 SCAC Championship Tournament and participating in 2021 NCAA Division-III Whitewater, Wisconsin Regional Championship.

 

Four Bulldogs earned ABCA All-Region honors during Heines' first season, while Tyler Cauley was a tabbed a CoSIDA Academic All-American, SCAC Player of the Year and was named the SCAC Elite 19 winner.

 

Heines and the Bulldogs have played in baseball postseason action in each of the last seven seasons that championship opportunities were available. (The 2020 baseball season was cancelled after 13 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) Heines was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator in 2013 when the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Division III Austin, Texas Regional. He was the associate head coach, pitching coach, and recruiting coordinator as the 2018 Bulldogs played in the NCAA Division III World Series and finished as the national runner-up. Heines also was instrumental in the Bulldogs' 2019 run to the NCAA postseason.

 

In total at TLU, Heines has been a part of two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season championships, one SCAC Championship (tournament title), one NCAA regional championship, one NCAA DIII World Series appearance, and three total appearances in the NCAA DIII postseason.

In his role as pitching coach, Heines coached All-Americans Sean Kistler (2013), Nathan Malinovsky (2016 and 2018) and Dylan Drgac (2018). Malinovsky was the 2018 D3baseball.com All-West Region Pitcher of the Year and the D3baseball.com National Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 2016. Drgac was a playing All-American and an Academic All-American.

In the Bulldogs' 2018 championship season, out of the 386 DIII baseball teams, TLU pitching ranked 12th nationally in earned run average, 32nd in hits allowed per nine innings, 38th in walks allowed per nine innings, 32nd in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 18th in walks-plus-hits per inning, and 21st in shutouts. 

In the run to the 2018 national championship finals, Drgac led the nation in games started (17), and Malinovsky and Drgac ranked second and fourth, respectively, in victories. Drgac and Malinovsky also ranked third and eighth, respectively, in total strikeouts.

In 2013, TLU closer Sean Kistler claimed All-American honors after not allowing a run (earned or unearned) the entire season. Kistler saved 14 games (a school record) and went 1-0 with an earned run average of 0.00. He struck out 33 and walked 12 in 29.1 innings of work.

Heines also coached All-Region pitching selections Jeff Spillane, Aaron Aleman, Dwayne Snider, and Lincoln Baylor.

In addition to his work as pitching coach, Heines also coached the TLU catchers. In 2018, Bulldog catcher Spencer Brandt was named the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove award winner for NCAA Division III. In handling a pitching staff on a national runner-up squad, Brandt did not make an error all season, and he threw out 18 of 27 would-be base stealers.

Before arriving in Seguin in 2012, Heines served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas A&M-Kingsville from 2010-2012.

In 2012, the Javelinas received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship (regional round). The Javelinas pitching staff led the Lone Star Conference in earned run average and strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Heines has coached eight Major League Baseball draft picks, including former TLU right-hander Kyle Simmons, who was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 24th round of the 2014 draft. Heines' MLB draftee list also includes Texas A&M-Kingsville star Jaden Dillon, the Lone Star Conference Pitcher of the Year and a 29th round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2012. Heines coached Javelinas closer Cameron Dullnig, who broke the school record for saves and finished with a 0.00 ERA.

Heines is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and a graduate of San Antonio's James Madison High School. He graduated from Purdue University in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in movement and sports science. He has an associate's degree in kinesiology from Midland College. In 2016, Heines completed his master's degree in education administration from Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Heines was an all-conference selection at Midland College in 2004. He was All-Big 10 as a pitcher and Academic All-Big 10 in 2006. In 2007, Heines tied for the NCAA Division I season lead in shutouts, with four.

Heines was a volunteer assistant for Purdue in 2008. He assisted in coaching the pitchers. That season, Purdue lost 3-2 to Michigan in the Big 10 title game.

Heines and his wife Emily were married in 2014. Emily has completed a second bachelor's degree at TLU, and she is pursuing her master's degree in data analytics at TLU.