Bluffton’s James Grandey named HCAC Coach of the Year

Bluffton skipper James Grandey has been named the Heartland Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Beavers baseball team to a third-place finish in the HCAC.

Grandey, a 1999 Muskingum University graduate, played baseball and football in college. Before coming to Bluffton, Grandey served as a graduate assistant on the Muskingum College baseball and football coaching staff as he worked toward his master's degree. He is the son of Jim and Madeleine Grandey of Greenfield.

Also recognized by the Heartland Conference were Bluffton seniors Jaden Jaques (New Palestine, Ind.) and Jake Baumgartner (Toledo/Start), who notched first-team honors. Fellow senior Jack Towell (Batavia/West Clermont) collected Second-Team All-HCAC recognition, while sophomore Justin Maurer (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) earned Honorable Mention acclaim.

The Bluffton University baseball team equaled the school record with 22 victories in 2023. Bluffton finished its Heartland Conference slate with a 14-8 mark, giving the Beavers a school-record .636 winning percentage in HCAC contests.

The 14-8 mark sent Bluffton into the HCAC Tournament with a Bluffton-best #3 seed after wrapping up the regular season with a 22-16 mark overall. Coach Grandey pushed his team to a third-place finish despite entering the season tabbed seventh in the coaches' poll. He also notched career victory #300 against Alvernia in Florida on March 7.

Bluffton showed out with 27 home runs, 251 RBI's and 173 walks which are all 2nd all-time for a single season. The 12 saves for Bluffton's pitching staff are also second all-time.
 
The Beavers scored 283 runs (fourth all-time), were hit by 60 pitches (fourth all-time), racked up 576 total bases (sixth all-time), fanned 6.99 batters per nine innings (sixth all-time), threw out 18 base stealers (sixth all-time) and turned 27 double plays (seventh all-time).