Bio

Mark Batman served 19 seasons at the helm of the Ohio Northern women’s soccer program from 2004-2012 as just the fourth head coach in program history.

He is the winningest head coach in program history with a 253-91-40 overall record in 19 seasons.

During the 2022 season, the Polar Bears posted a 14-2-5 overall record and won a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference title with a 7-0-2 record. They won the OAC Tournament title and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The team secured its 19th straight winning season and 17th consecutive OAC upper-division finish.

Under Batman, ONU made 14 appearances in the OAC Tournament championship game, earned seven OAC Regular Season titles and five tournament crowns and made seven NCAA Tournament appearances. He was named the OAC Coach of the Year five times, in 2007, 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2021.

In 2017, he guided Northern to a 20-2-2 overall record and an undefeated 9-0-0 mark in OAC action. Batman and the Polar Bears made their first NCAA Div. III Tournament appearance since the 2012 season and advanced to the program's first Elite 8. The United Soccer Coaches named Batman and his staff the Division III Great Lakes Staff of the Year.

In 2009, Batman guided Ohio Northern to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance against Wittenberg after leading the team to a second-place finish in the OAC.

In 2007, he led the Polar Bears to an 8-0-1 mark in the OAC and their first OAC Regular Season title since 1998.

Batman came to Ohio Northern after assistant coaching stints at Savannah (Ga.) Arts and Design, Dubuque (Iowa), and his alma mater, Wilmington.

The Yellow Springs, Ohio, native served as an assistant men’s soccer coach and the assistant sports information director at Savannah A&D in 2003.

From 2001-02, Batman was a graduate assistant for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams at Dubuque after serving as an assistant men’s soccer coach at Wilmington in 2000.

Batman graduated from Wilmington with a bachelor’s degree in sport management in 2000 and earned his master’s degree in physical education from Loras (Iowa) in 2003.

He holds an NSCAA Premier Diploma and is a trainer at the United States Women's National Team Training Center, where he helps identify talent for the U.S. Women's National Team. His duties have included hosting practices throughout the region for elite soccer players and identifying potential national team players.

As a student-athlete, Batman was a two-time All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honoree at Wilmington, earning First Team recognition during his sophomore and junior seasons.

He was also selected First Team All-Great Lakes Region and the team’s MVP as a senior in 1999. Batman helped his team make two Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament and achieve a national ranking as high as No. 12.

Women's Soccer under Batman