Deegan has built Denison into national power
His reputation and coaching acumen are incomparable.
The man is beloved and revered anywhere he’s played and worked.
Yet, he is as genuine and down to earth as one could find in the baseball world.
He leads with caring and concern for those in his charge, including family, friends, his staff and his players.
Is there any doubt why Denison University baseball has been ranked No. 1 in the country among NCAA Division III baseball teams this season?
It’s all about Mike. That is Mike Deegan — Trinity High School and Marietta College graduate.
Deegan, in his 14th season as head coach at Denison, has built the baseball program into a powerhouse. The Big Red are rolling. Fresh off an NCAA Division III World Series appearance in 2025, Denison is a leading contender to win a national championship this season and the man at the controls is Deegan.
“The thing with him is, he is just absolute in his clarity and in his vision. That’s something you’ll hear him reference a lot – clarity. It is king,” said Kyle Lindquist, who played at Marietta when Deegan was an assistant coach there, served on his staff at Denison and now works in the Cleveland Guardians’ front office. “Mike does a tremendous job of thinking through his thoughts and creating clarity within himself, clarity within his staff and, ultimately, clarity within the program.
“We had to be relentless at Denison. We didn’t sleep and we worked all the time. People think that we can expedite success but it’s just a matter of we didn’t quit. The other thing is, Mike just treats everybody so darn well. He was the easiest guy in the world to work for and with.
“He gives you a ton of freedom and ownership,” Lindquist continued. “He gives you too much ownership sometimes. A lot of leaders aren’t this way. When I was first working with him, he would have me doing things that he shouldn’t have had me doing and he wouldn’t give me much guidance. It used to (tick) me off because I’m like, you just won three national championships at Marietta doing my role. I’ve been doing this role for four hours. Help me out here. He said: ‘That’s not how you’re going to learn the best.’ He was thinking about my growth. He told me I needed to fail, mess it up like crazy and then figure out where I messed up and go make adjustments.”
Deegan, 47, was a four-year starter in basketball and was Trinity’s leading scorer in 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97. He was first-team all-section as a sophomore and senior. He graduated as Trinity’s all-time leading scorer with 1,296 points.
A three-year starter in baseball as a shortstop, Deegan helped the Hillers to the WPIAL playoffs three consecutive years. Deegan was first-team all-section in 1997.
Deegan is a member of the Washington-Greene County Sports Hall of Fame, Marietta College Athletic Hall of Fame and was inducted to the Trinity Hall of Fame in 2012.
“He was one of the best high school shortstops that I saw,” said Kurt Kesneck, Deegan’s high school baseball coach. “He was just amazing. He was a good kid and the best part of it was he was humble. He always said thank you. Mike is a true leader. From the time he stepped in as a starting shortstop for us as a sophomore, he led.”
At Marietta, Deegan was two-time first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference and first-team All-Mideast Region in 2001. He was second in the nation in stolen bases (38) in 1999 and led the team in doubles, triples, walks and stolen bases in 2001 and batted .393 his senior year.
A recent win over Oberlin was the 400th career victory for Deegan at Denison.
“I’ve never really applied for a job anywhere else,” Deegan said. “I’ve never put my name out there. I feel we have a good thing going. … I love it here. I get to coach. I get to teach. I get to, hopefully, make an impact on young people’s lives. The next shiny big thing doesn’t really do it for me. I’ve never been driven from an ego standpoint like that. I feel like we could make a big impact here and that’s probably enough for me.
“It’s the whole university buying into trying to do this because it is uncomfortable. We miss too much class. It’s not perfect, but we try to create a good, positive experience for our guys.
“Being from Washington and competing in the Bronco World Series and the Mustang World Series and the Pony World Series — those are really big things, and you learn how to be a part of a team and about roles on the team,” he continued. “You’re thinking about larger things than yourself. Now it’s become a very internal game where people are so focused on the next level and the next shiny object that you can forget where you are sometimes. So, the biggest thing that we try to embrace is the idea of how to compete now. When we get them here, one of our big challenges is to get them to buy into being a part of a team. I think that’s our dilemma. The opportunity for us is, can we get people to play a team sport again?”
Building Denison
Deegan has been head coach at Denison since 2013. He was named assistant director of athletics in August 2023 and was promoted to associate professor of physical education in the summer of 2023.
In his time in Granville, Ohio, Deegan has built Denison baseball into one of the top programs in the Mideast Region and a contender on the national stage. Excluding the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, Deegan has led the Big Red to seven consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, and last season the program’s first Super Regional championship and first World Series appearance.
The good times started to roll in 2018, when the Big Red set a program record with 32 wins while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Deegan was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
In his 13 previous seasons at Denison, Deegan has guided his teams to five NCAC regular-season titles, six NCAC tournament titles, a trip to NCAA Division III World Series and 11 appearances in the NCAC tournament.
At the NCAA World Series, Denison defeated Rowan, 12-10, to advance in the double elimination bracket. The team would lose to eventual champion Wisconsin-Whitewater, 11-4, and lose their elimination game in a rematch with Rowan, 6-1.
The 2024 season was a historic one for the Big Red. Deegan guided Denison to a school-record 42 wins, the fourth most in Division III
“It’s amazing. Denison was not a real established place when he got there,” said Jeff Mountain, longtime Washington & Jefferson baseball coach. “That’s what makes it even more incredible what he’s done. But it’s not the least bit surprising. Mike’s as good as I’ve ever been around. We played against each other.
“As I got to know him, myself as a young coach, him as a young assistant, I understood how people gravitated toward him. He’s a classic guy who relates to everybody. Mike’s an incredible coach who will succeed at any level in any professional organization. I have ultimate respect for him. He’s as good as it gets and is as good of a person as it gets.”
Prior to coming to Denison, Deegan spent nine seasons on the Marietta coaching staff, helping the Pioneers to three NCAA Division III national championships (2006, 2011, 2012), six NCAA regional berths, and four Division III championship appearances.
Deegan and his wife, Lowrie, have four children.
“Mike’s been a friend of mine for a long time and started out as a mentor,” said Ryne Romick, who now assists Deegan as associate head coach after playing for him. “He gave me my first job. I really wanted to work for him because I thought he was a great person – very thoughtful and knowledgeable.
“He’s always trying to get better. I think that’s what I admire most. He never settles for anything — always looking for an edge. When he gives constructive criticism, he gives it to himself first. I think that’s an admirable trait.”
Denison entered Tuesday with a 33-1 record, a 32-game winning streak and ranked No. 1 in Division III. Deegan understands the opportunity at hand.
“I think the word maintain (a program) is probably what I’m most proud of here,” Deegan said. “I think the mark of a lot of great programs and organizations is consistency. It’s easy to make a splash and have a good year or two but to sustain it is tough, especially so in today’s environment.”
John Sacco writes a column for the Observer-Reporter about local sports history.