March 20, 2014

Johns Hopkins baseball's Bob Babb won his 1,000^th career game as the head coach of the Blue Jays in a 22-3 victory over St. Joseph's (Long Island) on March 20, 2014. Now in his 35^th season at Homewood, Babb joins an exclusive club of collegiate coaches who have reached the milestone. Here's a look back at Babb's milestone wins over the years...

1 - On March 16, 1980 Babb earned his first win as head coach of the Blue Jays with a 5-4 victory over Wilkes in the season opener. The Blue Jays would go on to win their first of 10 MAC Southeast Section Championships under Babb that season.

83 - With a 6-5 win over Ursinus on April 7, 1984, Babb became the all-time winningest coach in the now 127-year history of Hopkins baseball. The Blue Jays would end the season 20-11, their fourth year with at least 20 victories under Babb.

237 - Hopkins defeated Ferrum 10-2 on May 26, 1989 for the NCAA South Regional Championship to advance to the first College World Series in school history. Hopkins won two games in Bristol, CT that year against UW-Whitewater (5-2) and Southern Maine (10-7), before falling to eventual-champion NC Wesleyan.

374 - After defeating Muhlenberg 12-0 on April 30, 1994, Hopkins finished its first season in the Centennial Conference with a 17-1 record to claim the league's inaugural championship. Hopkins would make its sixth NCAA Regional appearance under Babb that season, tying a then-school record with 34 wins on the year.

600 - Babb became just the 14^th active coach in Division III at the time to win 600 career games with a 4-1 victory over Franklin & Marshall on April 6, 2002.

700 - Exactly three years to the date of winning #600, Babb won his 700^th game at the helm of Johns Hopkins with a 7-5 triumph at home over Shenandoah in 2005.

800 - A 12-1 home victory over Swarthmore on March 29, 2008 provided Babb with his 800^th career victory during one of the finest seasons in Hopkins baseball history. The Blue Jays went on to win the Centennial Conference and NCAA South Region Championship that season, advancing to the NCAA College World Series for the second time ever. JHU finished as the national runner up that season after falling to Trinity (CT) 5-4 in the National Championship game.

900 - Babb notched his 900^th win of his career with a 7-4 victory over Shenandoah in the 2010 NCAA College World Series.

Scattered throughout the seasons of these milestone victories are the hundreds of wins that make up a 35-year coaching career. 10 Middle Atlantic Conference Southeast League titles, 12 Centennial Conference championships, seven University Athletic Association titles and a total of 18 NCAA Division III Tournament appearances have truly made Babb's tenure at Hopkins a special one. With his 1,000^th victory Babb becomes just the ninth head coach in the history of Division III baseball to reach the milestone, and is now the fourth active coach with 1,000 wins.

Babb's winning history with Johns Hopkins also includes four years as a player from 1974 to 1977. Babb was a member of the 1976 squad that participated in the first NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, while the 1977 team won the Middle Atlantic Southeast title. Babb remains one of the all-time leaders at Hopkins in stolen bases, as he ranks eighth with 65, and was elected to the Johns Hopkins Hall of Fame in 1996.

Congratulations to Bob and the entire Johns Hopkins baseball family!

A word from coach Babb:

"I've been very fortunate to have a supportive administration that helps me and has really given me the green light to build this program. I've been blessed with great assistant coaches who put in long hours, and who really want to learn the game and are willing to do things the Hopkins way. I've also been blessed with great players. That combination along with the support of parents and former players really makes for a special program. Everyone is a part of the success I have, from the players, parents, administration and the assistant coaches, they all deserve some of the credit too."

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