Whiteoak High School to dedicate field to legendary baseball Coach Chris Veidt

Courtesy of Jason Iles
Superintendent
Bright Local Schools

Whiteoak High School will honor longtime Head Baseball Coach Chris Veidt with a field dedication ceremony on Friday, April 10, 2026, prior to the Wildcats’ home contest against the Fairfield Lions. 

The ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m., with family, faculty, current and former players, students and community members invited to attend.

Coach Veidt is preparing to enter his 35th consecutive season leading the Wildcats and currently holds an impressive 492-364 career record, placing him on the verge of an extraordinary 500-win milestone. Coach Veidt was inducted into the 2024 class of the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Since taking over the program in 1992, Veidt has built one of the most respected baseball programs in the region. Under his leadership, Whiteoak teams have been state-ranked 12 times, highlighted by a State Poll Championship in 2018 and a No. 2 final ranking in 2023. His teams have captured 12 Southern Hills Athletic Conference championships — including perfect conference seasons in 2013 and 2018 — along with 17 sectional titles, four district championships, and one regional title. The 2018 Wildcats advanced to the OHSAA Division IV State Final Four after finishing the regular season as Ohio’s top-ranked team.

A 1982 graduate of Logan High School and 2023 Logan High School Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Veidt played collegiately at the University of Rio Grande and Wilmington College, earning his degree in Health and Physical Education in 1986. He later earned a master’s degree in Health and Sports Science from the University of Dayton. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Wilmington College under Reds Hall of Famer Brooks Lawrence, helping guide the Quakers to a 1989 District 22 Championship.

Throughout his career, Veidt has earned numerous honors, including five SHAC Coach of the Year awards, nine Southeast District Coach of the Year honors, and multiple state and regional coaching recognitions. He was inducted into the Southeast District Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014 and has served as an OHSBCA State Poll voter since 1993. During his tenure at Whiteoak, he has coached 28 All-Ohio players, with 28 athletes advancing to play collegiate baseball.

Beyond wins and championships, Coach Veidt’s legacy is defined by decades of mentorship, leadership, and unwavering commitment to student-athletes and the Whiteoak community. Bright Local Schools is deeply grateful and truly blessed to have benefited from Coach Veidt’s leadership, steady presence, and positive influence for more than three decades. His impact reaches far beyond the field — shaping young men of character, reinforcing teamwork and perseverance, and strengthening the pride of our entire district.

Coach Veidt and his wife of 32 years, Kelli, reside in Wilmington. They are the proud parents of Olivia, a second-grade teacher at Miami Trace.

Below, Coach Veidt is shown coaching his Whiteoak Wildcats. (HCP photo by Stephen Forsha.)