Playing an aggressive style of small-ball, the Prairie Fire baseball team is one of the most exciting teams to watch at Knox College. Coached by 1992 Knox graduate Jami Isaacson, the team employs plenty of hit-and-run and straight-steal tactics to disrupt the opposing defense.

The Prairie Fire won the Midwest Conference championship in 2008 and earned an automatic berth into the 2008 NCAA Division III Baseball Championships. That season, Knox won the conference's South Division and the right to host the conference tournament. After losing the first game of the tournament to fall into the losers bracket, Knox won four straight games to win the conference crown.

The Prairie Fire have landed two top-three finishes in the Midwest Conference since 2002, and also finished second in the conference's South Division in 2006. The team has also had its share of individual standouts, with two all-region players since 2003, and 16 First Team All-Midwest Conference South Division picks since 2006, including a division-best seven selections in 2007. Paul Bennett was named the division's Player of the Year in 2008. Knox has also had several academic all-conference players during Isaacson's tenure.

Isaacson, known as one of the most knowledgeable hitting coaches in the area, has been coaching at Knox since 2000. He got his start as a coach in 1993, when he became the head coach of Illinois College at age 24, the youngest head coach in the NCAA at the time. He has been named the MWC Coach of the Year three times, most recently in 2008.

The Prairie Fire play their games at Blodgett Field, which is one of the best facilities in the state. Because of the well-constructed drainage system, the field can be ready for play just hours after the heaviest of rainstorms.

The baseball team employs the indoor batting cages at T. Fleming Fieldhouse in the offseason, and also can use the spacious infield of the track to take fielding practice. In addition, the state-of-the-art E. & L. Andrews Fitness Center gives players access to some of the best training equipment in the Midwest.

Prairie Fire baseball players have gone on to a wide variety of successful careers. Geoff Ziegler '03 (Chemistry) works for ESPN in media technology. Brett Barnhart '96 (Biochemistry) is an orthopaedic surgeon at Coleman Clinic. James Rhodes '71 (Political Science) is a circuit court judge in Chicago. Ryan Suffelbeam '98 (Mathematics, Computer Science) is a professor of mathematics at Ohio State University.

For more information, submit the Recruit Me form or e-mail baseball@knox.edu.