Assistant Coach DJ Neff Named 2026 Manager of Hometown Champion City Kings

SPRINGFIELD, OH – Wittenberg Assistant Baseball Coach DJ Neff recently acquired a new summer job, and he won’t even have to switch home dugouts.

Neff, who joined Wittenberg’s coaching staff as an assistant and recruiting coordinator prior to the 2025 season, was recently named field manager for the Champion City Kings, a summer collegiate wood-bat team that shares Carleton Davidson Stadium with the Tiger baseball program, for the 2026 season. He will continue his duties at Wittenberg as well. (Editor's Note: The Champion City Kings organization re-branded shortly after this story was published. The team is now know as the Champion City Half Trax.)

A native of Grove City, Ohio, Neff is a former standout at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he was a four-year starter and a two-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) selection. In his collegiate career, Neff appeared in 136 games and collected 168 hits, including 23 home runs, a total that ranks 11th in program history.

“I am extremely blessed and thankful for Mr. (Danny) Leach to give me this opportunity coaching the Kings,” Neff said. “I'm most excited for the opportunity to be able to take the things I have learned so far coaching at Wittenberg under Coach (Mitchell) Griffiths and Coach (Darren) Himsworth and be able to bring that to the Kings. Mr. Leach and the Kings’ organization have a lot of special things planned for the club this summer and I am just grateful to be a part of it.”

At Wittenberg, Neff played an important role in a record-breaking 2025 season as he helped to develop several of the Tigers’ eight All-NCAC performers while also leading important recruiting and player-development initiatives.

“DJ represents the next generation of baseball leadership,” said Danny Leach, director of baseball operations for the Champion City Kings in a release from the team. “He has a passion for developing players and connecting with the community, and we’re thrilled to see him take the next step in his coaching career right here in Springfield.”

Neff’s experience mentoring college athletes and his deep understanding of the game are traits that attracted the attention of the Kings, who are members of the Eastern Conference and Northeast Division of the Prospect League. Other teams in their division include the Chillicothe Paints from Chillicothe, Ohio; the Johnstown Mill Rats from Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and the Lafayette Aviators from Lafayette, Indiana. The Prospect League features two conferences and a total of 18 teams.

“We’re very excited for Coach Neff on being named head coach of the Champion City Kings,” said Griffiths, Wittenberg’s head coach. “He’s a terrific young coach and an incredible asset to our program. This is a tremendous opportunity for him and a great step forward in his coaching career.”

Neff will be joined on the Kings coaching staff by Charlie Schafer, an all-conference pitcher for Wittenberg the last four years who will serve as the Kings’ pitching coach. A native of nearby Beavercreek, Ohio, Schafer made a league-leading 24 appearances on the mound his senior year, compiling six wins and five saves with a 2.61 earned run average in 41.1 innings of work.

The Kings will open the 2026 season in late May, with a detailed schedule set to be released by the Prospect League early next year. The roster each year includes players from a wide variety of colleges across the country, including Wittenberg.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook & Ryan Maurer
Graphic By: Olivia Witman