Wittenberg University Baseball

Darren Himsworth assumed the position of associate head coach for the Wittenberg Baseball team in 2025. In that role, he is in charge of the team's offense and defense as the hitting and infield coach, and he also plays a key role in recruiting for the program. This is Himsworth's second stint as a coach for the Tigers. He was a member of the Wittenberg Baseball coaching staff from 2016-2022 as he served in various roles, including hitting coach, infield coach, and recruiting coordinator. After his departure, Himsworth joined the Texas Rangers as an associate MLB scout, and he remains with that organization, assisting to cover Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. Upon his return to the program prior to the 2025 season, Himsworth helped Wittenberg to tremendous records of 29-12 overall and 11-4 in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Under his guidance, the Tigers' offense shattered the program record of 41 home runs set in 2024 with 51 homers in 2025. The 2025 offense also landed second all-time in RBIs (346), third in runs scored (380), fourth in doubles (93), and third in hits (491). The defense also made a tremendous jump to land second in program history with a .967 fielding percentage. After the season, Wittenberg placed a whopping eight players on All-NCAC Teams. First-teamers included Parker Gryskevich, Luke Thomas, Alex Nemunaitis, Rocco Royer, Charlie Schafer, and Tommy Chilicki. Second-teamers included Xander Rodriguez and Thatcher Dietz. In 2022, Himsworth was

DJ Neff joined the Wittenberg University baseball staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2025 for his first year of collegiate coaching, bringing a strong background in player development, particularly in hitting and infield instruction. Assisting with primarily the infielders and hitters, Neff helped the Tigers shatter the program record of 41 home runs set in 2024 with 51 homers in 2025. The 2025 offense also landed second all-time in RBIs (346), third in runs scored (380), fourth in doubles (93), and third in hits (491). The defense also took a leap, landing second in program history with a .967 fielding percentage. Wittenberg ended the year seeing eight players on All-NCAC Teams. First-teamers included Parker Gryskevich, Luke Thomas, Alex Nemunaitis, Rocco Royer, Charlie Schafer, and Tommy Chilicki. Second-teamers included Xander Rodriguez and Thatcher Dietz. A native of Grove City, Ohio, Neff played collegiate baseball at Ohio Wesleyan University. Over his career, he was a 2X all-conference selection, appeared in 136 games, collected 168 hits, and hit 23 home runs, ranking 11th all-time in program history for home runs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio Wesleyan.

Former Wittenberg University baseball head coach Jay Lewis returned to his alma mater in 2023 to serve as an assistant coach in the same program. As the head coach from 1997-2017, Lewis broke the program record for career victories and games coached. His record was 379-380-4 overall, including a mark of 154-169-1 against North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) competition. Lewis' teams finished second in the NCAC Tournament twice during that time, and several players, including Brent Parke, Ryan Born, Ryan Peters, Steve Less, and Kurt Hartfelder, went on to play professional baseball after their careers at Wittenberg ended. Lewis, who served as an assistant coach for one year for the Tigers before taking the reins, is a 1994 Wittenberg graduate. He excelled on the diamond for the Tigers in the early 1990s as the team's starting catcher for from 1991-1993. He spent his first collegiate season at West Virginia Wesleyan. Before returning to Wittenberg as a coach, Lewis was an assistant coach at St. Paris Graham High School, his high school alma mater. He helped lead the Falcons to a Division II State runner-up finish in 1995. In addition, he helped coach perennial power Piqua in the American Legion League with Hall of Fame Head Coach Rick Gold. Lewis and his wife, Jennifer, reside in St. Paris. They have two children, Megan and Josh. Following the 2016 season at Wittenberg, Lewis accepted athletics director position at Graham High School. He spent six years as the athletic direct