Hall of Fame
Jeff Harper played one season at UNLV before transferring to Otterbein, where he became one of the most accomplished pitchers in Cardinal baseball history. During that season at UNLV, Harper shined, pitching to a 6-1 record with the Runnin’ Rebels. With Harper in the rotation, Otterbein rose to regional prominence, earning NCAA Division III Tournament berths in both 1981 and 1982.
The 1982 season proved especially memorable, as Harper was named First Team All-OAC, OAC Player of the Year, and an ABCA Third Team All-American. The left-hander posted a dominant 12-2 record with a 2.01 ERA, striking out 72 batters over more than 90 innings against Division III opponents. That season, he knocked off Marietta in the OAC Southern Division Championship, ending an eight-year winning streak by the Pioneers. In both 1981 and 1982, his work on the mound led Otterbein to the NCAA Tournament.
Some of Harper’s finest performances came against national powerhouse Marietta College, against whom he never lost in five career outings. He also excelled against Division I and II competition, highlighted by an unforgettable day against Kent State in which he earned two victories—starting and winning game one before coming out of the bullpen to secure game two. At the conclusion of the 1982 season, he was named the Otterbein Team Most Valuable Player.
At the time of his graduation, Harper held Otterbein’s single-season (12) and career (25) wins records. He finished his collegiate career with a 25-7 record, 256 innings pitched, and 173 strikeouts—cementing his place as one of the program’s all-time greats.
Harper graduated from Otterbein with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1982. After Otterbein, he married fellow Otterbein alum, Juli Fisher ‘83, and led a distinguished career as an officer in the United States Army. He went on to earn his Master of Arts in Education from the University of Saint Mary in Kansas in 2004.
He passed away in 2007 following a courageous battle with cancer.
