Baseball (1993-96)
A four-year contributor and three-year starter with the USF baseball team, Chris Heintz was a fixture for the Bulls at shortstop and third base from 1993-96. Later an assistant coach for USF (2009-14), Heintz still holds the school’s single-season records for runs batted in (95) and hits (106), both set in 1996.
On top of his program records, Heintz batted .400 (fourth in USF season history) as a senior with 16 home runs, which tie him for seventh on the Bulls’ single-season chart. Heintz also ranks in the top 10 of USF’s all-time season charts in doubles (21, fifth, 1995) and at-bats (265 in 1996, fifth; 257 in 1995, seventh).
In USF career history, Heintz ranks fourth in doubles (59), fifth in extra-base hits (93) and fifth in runs batted in (191) and top of being tied for ninth with nine triples.
After his stellar senior season in which Heintz helped lead USF to a Conference USA title as well as two NCAA Regional wins, he was named a third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Super Smith Team. He also collected USF Student-Athlete of the Year honors in 1996.
Heintz was drafted by the Chicago White Sox organization in 1996, and made his Major League Baseball debut as a catcher with the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 10, 2005. Heintz played in the majors with the Twins for three years (2005-2007), seeing action in a career-high 24 games in 2007, before retiring in 2008. He returned to USF in 2009 to join former head coach Lelo Prado's staff as an assistant baseball coach and served in the role with the Bulls until 2014.
During his USF playing career, Heintz served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was a member of Bull WHIPS (We Help Influence Peers) and participated in the USF Children's Festival sponsored by the USF College of Education.
Heintz was inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
