Augustana College Athletics

In 98 seasons of Augustana baseball, no player has etched his name more prominently in the Viking record book than Marc Blakeley. Blakeley patrolled center field for Coach Greg Wallace’s club from 2005-08,earning All-CCIW, all-region and All-America honors and setting no less than eight career and seven single-season school records. For good measure, he played in 125 victories during his career, making him the winningest player in program history.
 
A native of Adams, Wisconsin, Blakeley was a four-year starter in both football and baseball at Adams-Friendship High School, where he set several school records in each sport. On the gridiron, he was a three-time 1,000-yard rusher, graduated as the Green Devils’ all-time leading ground gainer and earned all-conference and all-region recognition. In baseball, he set school marks for home runs and stolen bases, among others, and was named All-State.
 
Arriving in Rock Island in the fall of 2004, Blakeley logged enough time in Coach Jim Barnes’ defensive backfield as a freshman to finish ninth on the team with 23 tackles. However, that would mark the end of his Augustana football career, as his focus shifted solely to baseball.
 
Blakeley made his collegiate debut in the second game of the 2005 season and got his first start in game number three. By the end of the year, he had played in 39 of 44 contests—starting 36—and was the Vikings’ third leading hitter with an average of .386. He led Wallace’s squad with 12 stolen bases, helped Augustana go 33-11 and garnered second team All-CCIW honors.
 
Although his average dipped to .285 in 2006, Blakeley still led a 31-10 Viking club with 20 stolen bases. He would rebound in 2007 to have the best offensive year in school history, leading the nation with 90 hits and 141 total bases. His .448 average ranked 18th nationally and is still the best ever at Augustana by any player with 50 or more at-bats. In addition to single-season school records for hits and total bases, he set a new standard for runs (60) and tied records for games played (49) and started (49), home runs (10, since broken) and at-bats (201). He also led the team in slugging (.701) and on-base percentage (.519). Both of those marks still rank seventh-best in school history. In addition to first team All-CCIW recognition, he captured all-region and All-America honors.
 
Blakeley’s efforts helped the Vikings go 35-14 and make just the second NCAA Division III Tournament appearance in program history. After dropping their regional opener in Bloomington, Illinois, they bounced back to win three straight before being eliminated by Carthage in a 5-4 heartbreaker.
 
As a senior, Blakeley repeated as an All-CCIW first-teamer. He hit .389, tied a school record with 26 stolen bases and drove in a career-best 41 runs. His 59 runs scored were just one shy of the record he set a year earlier. Augustana posted a 34-13 record and made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Hosting the regional at Swanson Stadium/Brunner Field, the Vikings won their first two games, including a 4-3 victory over UW-Stevens Point, with Blakeley driving in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth. A wild 14-13 setback to Webster and a 10-1 loss to Linfield ended another outstanding season.
 
11 years after graduation, Blakeley is still Augustana’s all-time leader in games played (173), games started (170), at-bats (671), runs (206), hits (258), total bases (367), stolen bases (78) and sacrifice flies (16). He also ranks in the school’s career top ten in doubles (44), walks (92), home runs (17), batting average (.385), on-base percentage (.460) and sacrifices (15) and despite hitting in the leadoff spot for almost his entire career, is 12th all-time with 113 RBI. In addition, he owns 22 top-ten single season marks in program history.
 
After graduating from Augustana in 2008 with a degree in social studies, Blakeley added an education degree from Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin and a master’s in educational leadership & curriculum from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. He has been a middle school social studies teacher since 2011, having also served as an Athletic Director, Football Defensive Coordinator and Head Baseball Coach at the high school level.
 
Marc’s wife Jamie is a 2009 Augustana graduate and the couple resides in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin with daughter Declynn. He says, “During my four years at Augie, I met people that forever changed my life. My wife, Jamie, and I met there and she never missed a game after we started dating my junior year. Without question, the years I spent at Augie were the best of my entire life. From the friendships that were created on campus, to the family that was created on the field, I will never forget the family and friends who molded me into who I am today.”