Briar Cliff University

The Briar Cliff University baseball program, led by Head Coach Boyd Pitkin, is committed to achieving excellence on the field and in the classroom as the last four years the Chargers’ have had a team GPA of 3.1 or better.

The Chargers’ squad consists of 45 varsity and junior varsity players. The varsity schedule has 50 games and the junior varsity slate includes 25-30. The Chargers play a Northern schedule, which includes all area colleges and features strong competition against some of the top opponents in the NAIA and NCAA Division II. They also take an annual spring trip to Tucson, AZ to play 10 of their scheduled games. Home games are played at Bishop Mueller Field on campus.

A Tradition of Excellence
Briar Cliff is recognized as one of the finest small college baseball teams in the nation. In 2005, the Chargers became the first, and only, Great Plains Athletic Conference team to qualify for the NAIA World Series, earning a trip to Lewiston, Idaho. The Chargers have made 31 postseason appearances in the past 40 years.

Twenty-four former Chargers have gone on to play professionally and 22 have been named NAIA All-Americans. Four Briar Cliff players have been named Regional Player of the Year and 49 have made All-Region teams. In 2015 and 2016 the Chargers CA/1B Scott Morton was tabbed Great Plains Athletic Conference Player of the Year. The Chargers have also suited up 33 Academic All-Americans.

A Wealth of Experience
Boyd Pitkin, a native of Sioux City, Iowa, has been the head coach at Briar Cliff, his alma mater, since 1998. The former three-year starting catcher for the Chargers was an assistant for seven years prior to his first season at the helm, when he was named Sectional Coach of the Year. Pitkin was also named the 2002 NAIA Region 3 Coach of the Year. Prior to coaching at BC, Pitkin held the role of head coach at Sioux City North High School (1992-93) and Mount Mercy University (1994-95).

Coach Pitkin’s Chargers have been a model of consistency since 2003, when they entered the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) – a highly competitive NAIA league. Since then, the Chargers have had seven top-two finishes. Pitkin has been named GPAC Coach of the Year twice, once in 2008 and again in 2015.

Pitkin's head coaching record at Briar Cliff: 530-579-1

Overall college head coaching record: 576-631-1

Under Coach Pitkin’s 22-year leadership, the Chargers have missed the postseason just five times.