GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Athletics Department mourns the passing of Stephen "Steve" DeRiggs, a former Messiah Baseball head coach, at the age of 77. DeRiggs coached for five seasons at Messiah including two seasons as an interim head coach in 2011 and 2012.
DeRiggs spent five seasons as a coach for the Messiah baseball team. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach before becoming the interim head coach in 2011 and 2012. As an assistant coach, the Falcons went 64-59-1 with a Conference Championship and Regional appearance in 2008.
During his two-year tenure as the Messiah University baseball interim head coach in 2011 and 2012, DeRiggs made an immediate impact. The Falcons went 45-44 during the two seasons, including two MAC Commonwealth Championships and two NCAA Regional appearances. DeRiggs led the Falcons to their first back-to-back conference championships and regional appearances in program history.
A native of Fall River, Massachusetts, DeRiggs graduated cum laude from Springfield College in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in education. DeRiggs spent most of his life around the game of baseball, getting drafted by the New York Yankees, playing two years of organized professional baseball, five years as a scout for the Boston Red Sox, and 22 years coaching high school baseball before coaching at Messiah.
From former Messiah Head Coach, Bryan Engle
"In coaching alongside Steve for three years, I always appreciated his servant heart and how he loved on the young men in the Messiah Baseball program. He was a gifted coach who had a great ability to connect with our team and found ways to always be encouraging to everyone. Even though our time on the field was only a short time, his impact on the Messiah baseball program was felt for many years and continues today."
From former player and assistant coach, Danny Etter
"Coach Deriggs had a direct, business-like approach to the game, while also teaching us to 'Practice with purpose and emotion, play with passion and pride', and modeling this himself with the way he coached his players. He never fell short of letting his players know he cared about them on a personal level, which was always admired and appreciated. His success as a coach at Messiah was no mistake and he did a tremendous job maintaining the high standards and proud tradition during a transitional period in the program.
He spoke often and with pride of his wife, family, and his grandchildren of whom we are keeping in prayer during this difficult time. I am blessed to have played and coached under Coach Deriggs, and will remember the many stories and lessons taught through the game of baseball."
From former player, Jamie Scott
"Reflecting back on my time playing under Coach DeRiggs, what stands out most is the freedom he gave us to truly play the game. He trusted his players—especially his seniors—and believed in our ability to lead, compete, and bring our own personalities to the field. He created a culture where we could play hard, have fun, and be ourselves, and that trust made all the difference. I'll never forget how that shaped my experience, and I know many of my teammates would echo those same feelings. I found myself using his often used quote with my 7U travel team this week, "practice with purpose and emotion, play with passion and pride." Coach DeRiggs was a prideful guy who really instilled in us what privilege it was to take the field with Messiah across our chest."
