Media Mentions

“How did a little-known Christian college of 2,801 near Harrisburg in south-central Pennsylvania become a national powerhouse?” asks an October 20 feature article in USA Today.

Read “At Messiah, glory comes on, off field.”

Louisville Bats hitting coach Smokey Garrett admits that he doesn’t know where Messiah College is located, but he does know that alum Chris Heisey is proving he’s more than qualified to be playing Triple AAA ball with the Bats. In an article posted on the Cincinnati Reds website, Sweet says of Heisey, “I see him as a guy who’s just finding out how good of a player he can be.”

Read “Heisey hustling his way through minors.”

NCAA.com is taking a few weeks this summer to look back on 10 outstanding athletic programs, including Messiah’s impressive season that included national championshis in men’s and women’s soccer and softball. “Magic soccer runs” and a “scintillating softball title” is how NCAA is qualifying the Falcons championships.

Read “Messiah’s The One…Three Times Over.”

Star baseball player Chris Heisey is one step closer to the big leagues after being moved up from the Carolina Mudcats to the AAA Lousiville Bats this past weekend. Heisey, Messiah’s first baseball All-American, is one of the key prospects in the Cincinnnati Reds organization. The Sports Blog at the Patriot-News posted an article about Heisey on June 29.

Read “Chris Heisey moves up to Class AAA.”

First-year student Jessica Rhoads has another honor to add to her ever-growing list: Sports Illustrated has identified her as one of their “Faces in the Crowd” in the June 8 issue. Rhoads, pitcher for the girls’ softball team, helped the Falcons win their first national championship.

Read “Faces in the Crowd.”

The Falcons beat Coe College 2-0 on May 18 to win their first NCAA Division 3 national championship in softball! Local media have covered the team’s journey to the championship, paying special attention to Pitcher Jessica Rhoads, a graduate of nearby Northern High School, who has had a “phenomenal” season, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Read “Messiah College wins NCAA Division III softball championship” from the May 18 online Harrisburg Patriot-News.
Read “Messiah softball wins Div. III national championship” from the May 18 Carlisle Sentinel.
Read “Messiah’s magical season” from the May 31 Lancaster Sunday News.

Chris Heisey, a former Messiah baseball star, is having a great season with his AA team, the Carolina Mudcats, the Southern League team of the Cincinnati Reds. Just last week, Heisey was 39-for-102 with five homers, 11 doubles, 21 runs scored, and 15 RBIs.

Read “Heisey is thriving in Double-A” from the May 10 Lancaster Sunday News.

Jess Rhoads was already a recognizable name in the region as a former pitching star at Northern High School. Now, a first-year student at Messiah, Rhoads continues to impress local sports enthusiasts as she has helped lead the Messiah College softball team to their best season in a decade. Rhoads, who lost her father to cancer earlier this year, reflects on the season and the memory of her dad in a May 8 Harrisburg Patriot-News article.

Read “Determiniation lifts Rhoads.”

For the first time since 1999, the Falcons softball team clinched the championship at the Commonwealth Conference softball tournament and will advance to the NCAA regionals.

Read “Messiah earns first title in decade” from May 3 Harrisburg Patriot-News.
The Carlisle Sentinel also covered the victory in their May 3 article, “A rally for the title.”

Messiah’s women’s basketball team powered through their first round of NCAA Division III championship play with a decisive 81-46 win over Eastern Connecticut State. The next night, the Falcons fell to Thomas More College in a close 57-50 game.

Read “Messiah powers through opener” from March 7 Harrisburg Patriot-News.
Read “Messiah women fade in stretch” from March 8 Harrisburg Patriot-News.