FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2014
Courtesy of Saint Michael's Athletics Communications
COLCHESTER, Vt. - After becoming the Saint Michael's College baseball interim head coach eight games into the 2014 season, Scott Strong has been selected to remain with the program as the head coach, with the interim label being dropped from his title. Assistant Director of Athletics Meggan Dulude '07 made the announcement on Friday. Upon joining the staff in early April, Strong became a college head coach for the first time.
"I want to thank Director of Athletics Geri Knortz, Assistant Director of Athletics Meggan Dulude, and the rest of the Athletics staff for allowing me to continue my career as a head coach here at Saint Michael's," said Strong. "What I'm most looking forward to is being able to be with the guys for a full year, and to keep developing them as much as possible. I'm really excited for the fall so we can get after it, because I think I'm going to get a lot out of them just because they're going to be excited to work."
Among the Purple Knights' victories since Strong inherited the squad was a 5-4 upset of No. 25 Franklin Pierce University yesterday in Rindge, N.H. Saint Michael's also downed a pair of regionally-ranked teams, knocking off the University of New Haven on April 5 and Merrimack College on April 26. In its final seven contests, the Purple and Gold went 4-3.
"Since taking the reins of the program in an interim capacity, it has been evident to all who follow the team that Coach Strong is someone with tremendous heart and a clear vision for the program's future," said Dulude. "We are very fortunate to secure such a talented, up-and-coming coach to continue guiding this team."
Strong departed nationally-ranked Southern New Hampshire University amid his fifth season as an assistant coach at his alma mater to accept the interim position at Saint Michael's. At Southern New Hampshire, Strong not only worked with the varsity outfielders and hitters but also spent three seasons as the junior varsity head coach, which entailed such responsibilities as recruiting, scheduling and fundraising. During his time as a varsity coach, the Penmen went 152-114-2. Southern New Hampshire qualified for the past two NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the 2012 College World Series while going a school-record 43-15.
"I've been working for more than five years for this kind of opportunity, and it means that all that hard work finally paid off," said Strong. "I'm excited that it's here at Saint Michael's. It's a great place to be, a lot of people want to come here, the NE-10 is a great conference to be able to coach in, and it's awesome being able to coach against my mentor at Southern New Hampshire. Putting Saint Michael's back on the map is something that motivates me."
Strong assisted the New Bedford (Mass.) Bay Sox and Laconia (N.H.) Muskrats in 2011 and 2012, respectively, both of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), which attracts some of the top college prospects to the region each summer. As an assistant coach in 2009, Strong helped Manchester Red win the Granite State Baseball Association Fall Showcase League, providing high school players exposure to college coaches.
During the summers of 2009 and 2010, Strong worked in operations with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats minor league baseball team of the Double-A Eastern League, an affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. In addition to working in such areas as sales and public relations in 2009, Strong was the head groundskeeper assistant the following year, when the field at the presently-named Northeast Delta Dental Stadium was chosen as Field of the Year within the Eastern League.
A four-year member of the Southern New Hampshire baseball team, Strong was the team's most valuable player as a senior in 2009. An infielder and outfielder during his career, Strong gained a starting spot as a junior, making 77 of his 78 appearances as an upperclassman in the starting lineup. He was fifth in the Northeast-10 Conference with 20 stolen bases as a senior, when he added 37 hits and 10 RBIs. The Naperville, Ill., native earned a bachelor's degree in sport management and anticipates completing a master's degree in marketing in May 2014.