Memorial service

A memorial service for Scott Heinig will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, in Freeborn Hall.

Some tickets for the service have been reserved by the family, and the remaining tickets, limited by the hall’s capacity, will be distributed at the door.

At the request of Heinig’s family, no cameras or recording devices will be permitted inside the hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to the Scott Heinig Youth Baseball Fund at P.O. Box 316, Davis 95617.

UC Davis alumnus Scott Heinig is being remembered as a beloved former leader of the Aggie baseball team.

The 22-year-old died Sunday following a head injury. Heinig sustained the injury at a private house party in Davis following the campus’s annual Picnic Day open house.

Read the news release: UC Davis, city mourn passing of former Aggie Scott Heinig.

"This is a shocking tragedy that has saddened the entire UC Davis baseball team and the department staff that interacted and worked with Scott during his undergraduate days," said Greg Warzecka, director of Athletics at UC Davis.

"His popularity and ability to lead others touched all those who knew him," Warzecka added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Heinig family at this time."

Heinig, who was a Davis resident, also played baseball in the community as a youth and for Davis Senior High School. His mother, M. Jane Heinig, is a UC Davis alumna and works on campus as an academic administrator in the Department of Nutrition.

UC Davis baseball head coach Rex Peters said the team had postponed a scheduled Sunday game against Cal State Bakersfield when they learned of Heinig's injury.

Peters praised the young man's character. "Scott was elected team captain his senior year, which speaks to how well respected he was by his teammates and to his work ethic and positive attitude," the coach said. "He had an infectious smile and put his teammates in front of himself."

"This tragedy not only touches UC Davis, but also Davis High School and the entire community," Peters added. "Our heartfelt prayers go out to the Heinig family."

Fred Wood, vice chancellor of Student Affairs at UC Davis, said he was deeply grieved and was struggling with the news of the death of Heinig, whom Wood met as a coach in community youth baseball about a decade ago. Wood said the student counseling center would be reaching out and offering support to the baseball team and other students impacted by this tragic death.

Heinig, who transferred to UC Davis from Cosumnes River College in 2009, played for the UC Aggie baseball squad and emerged as a team leader before graduating in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in economics.

In his first season with the Aggies, the pitcher made 10 relief appearances in 2009. He had a two-inning scoreless outing against San Francisco in which he did not allow a hit and struck out four batters. Heinig was elected team captain in 2010 and made 20 appearances, finishing his senior campaign with a 2-1 record.

As a student of Davis Senior High School, he led the team to back-to-back Monticello Empire League titles and was named the 2006 Monticello Empire League Player of the Year. During his two years at Cosumnes River College, Heinig posted six saves and finished with a 3.40 earned run average, leading to his selection to the All-Big Eight first team in 2008.