Franciscan University Barons Athletics

Carver will be entering his seventh season at the helm for the 2026 season at Franciscan. It will be his 35th year as an NCAA Head Coach, as he has amassed over 500 wins in his career.

Wade Stoehr and Josiah Bodie were named Second Team All-PAC in 2025. The Barons' .306 batting average was tied for third best in the PAC, as Bodie led the way with a .394 batting average in his first full, collegiate season. 

The 2024 season ended on a high-note with five wins in their last eight games, including a sweep at home over Bethany. The season ended with a sweep at Penn State Shenango. The second win would give Coach Carver his 500th win of his decorated career. After the season, Wade Stoehr was named Honorable Mention All-PAC.

The 2023 season was an injury-plagued season. Brendan Burke batted .400 while battling injuries to be named Second Team All-PAC. He also became the program's all-time hits leader this season. 

The 2022 season was another record setting year, as the Baron improved on the program record from 2021 by earning 17 wins. Brendan Burke had a breakout season by earning First Team All-PAC honors. He was also named ABCA/Rawlings Mideast All-Region Third Team. Jacob Watson was named Second Team All-PAC, while Michael Maynard earned Honorable Mention recognition. 

The 2021 season was a historic year for Franciscan baseball. Under Carver's leadership they set a new team record for wins (16) and made their first Conference Tournament. The Barons posted a 15-11 PAC record to sit in third place and be among the top four teams to go to Washington for the PAC Tournament. 

In the 2021 season, a new record, eight players earned postseason honors. Joshua Costello led the way being named ABCA/Rawlings Mideast Region Third Team. Costello as well as Kyle Ferrance were named first team All-PAC. Patrick Wallace, Chris Furka, and Declan Peterson were Second Team All-PAC. Brendan Burke, Joshua Speaker, and Jacob Watson were Honorable Mention All-PAC.

The 2020 season was the first NCAA season at Franciscan since 2011, and it unfortunately came to an abrupt end with the COVID-19 outbreak. The Barons only played their spring break games, as they amassed a record of 3-8 in Virginia and Florida. The Barons did not waste time searching for the first win, as they beat Christendom in their first game of the year 4-0. Ryan Neely, the Steubenville native, would pitch a complete game shut out in the victory.
 
Director of athletics, Mike Holmes, announced on September 19, 2018 the hiring of Rick Carver as the head coach for the newly revitalized baseball program at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Carver joins Franciscan after a prolific 29-year career at nearby Bethany College.

Carver, no stranger to the Ohio Valley and DIII athletics, served as the head coach at Bethany College since 1990. With the Bison, Carver amassed 448 wins, the most wins for a coach in school and Presidents’ Athletic Conference history, and was named the PAC Coach of the Year five times, most recently in 2014. Carver led the Bison to four outright PAC titles and eight first-place regular season finishes in his time at Bethany. In addition, the Bison appeared in five ECAC championship tournaments under Carver.

Carver recruited and coached the first All-America honoree for the Bison and has guided 105 players to All-PAC honors including seven MVP selections. 14 players under Carver have been inducted into Bethany’s Hall of Fame and 60 Bison have earned national recognition by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.

Personally, Carver has received numerous awards from coaching organizations for his excellence in coaching, the most recent being the Louisville Silver Slugger Award for Championship Level Coaching in 2004.
 

Year by Year Results at Franciscan

Year by Year Results at Bethany