WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Adam Goss has officially been named the first-ever head coach of the newly-added University of Saint Joseph (USJ) baseball program, it was announced on Wednesday by USJ Director of Athletics Amanda Devitt. Goss is set to lead the newest Blue Jays program as a club team first during the 2022-23 academic year, with the varsity program set to debut in 2023-24. Goss is a Connecticut native (Waterford), a former baseball student-athlete at Division II powerhouse Franklin Pierce University, and has been an assistant coach at Division III Nichols College for the past three seasons. He begins his new role as a head coach at USJ on Monday, March 21.
"We are thrilled to have Adam join our University and start our baseball program," said USJ Director of Athletics, Amanda Devitt. "Through the interview process, he stood out as someone of high character that could make an immediate impact out on the recruiting trail. Adam was part of a very successful college program as a student-athlete, and we are confident he will bring that success here to USJ."
"I want to first thank Amanda Devitt, the search committee, and the entire USJ community for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to build the baseball program at the University of Saint Joseph," Goss said on the announcement. "I cannot wait to start constructing a program driven by championship-caliber student-athletes, both on and off the field. I also want to thank my wife Megan, my entire family, and all the coaches and teammates that have been the foundation of my baseball career."
AS A COACH
Goss arrives at USJ by way of Nichols College, where he has been the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bison's baseball program for the last three seasons. Nichols is coming off a 15-9 (.625) 2021 campaign, which marked the highest winning percentage for the Bison since 2005. The Bison were off to a roaring start in 2020, posting an 8-2 record before the COVID-19 shutdown. In 2019, his first season in Dudley, Massachusetts, Nichols finished 21-20 and made the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament, before falling in the first round. Overall, Nichols has posted a 44-31 record while Goss has been with the program.
Working directly with head coach Tim Mayo, the Bison established several single-season school records in his time with the program, including in 2019, when the pace was set for home runs (29), on-base percentage (.444), and slugging percentage (.542), as well as the second-highest team batting average (.343) all-time. Additionally, Nichols' pitchers held opponents to a .256 batting average in 2021, the fourth-lowest mark ever recorded by a Nichols team.
Seven Bison received All-CCC honors in 2021, highlighted by CCC Player of the Year Kyle Bouchard, Pitcher of the Year Jack Dicenso, and Rookie of the Year Brennan Hyde. Bouchard and Dicenso, along with Nate Cormier and DJ Caron, went on to grab All-New England Honors, while Bouchard was named to the D3baseball.com All-America Fourth Team, marking the first All-American in program history. Additionally, two members of the 2021 team went on to sign professional baseball contracts for the 2022 season.
In Goss' first season on the bench at Nichols, the Bison won 21 games - which was the fourth-highest mark in program history - and set the single-season record for earned run average (ERA) (3.77) in the process. Five student-athletes were named All-CCC: Christian Naccari (First Team), Kyle Bouchard (Second Team), Joe Assenza (Second Team), Nathaniel Cormier (Third Team), and Brendan Duffy (Second Team); while Duffy was also named CCC Rookie of the Year. Four student-athletes garnered CCC Academic All-Conference honors.
AS A STUDENT-ATHLETE
Goss is a 2018 graduate of Franklin Pierce University, where he was a four-year member of the Ravens baseball program, the same program that was nationally-ranked No. 1 in the country in 2016.
A left-handed specialist, Goss struck out 47 batters in 34.2 innings of work during his career, good for an average of 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The Ravens made three NCAA Division II Tournament appearances during that span (2015-18), advancing to the Division II College World Series in 2016. Franklin Pierce posted a combined record of 162-43-1 while Goss was a member of the program, which equates to a .789 winning percentage.
Goss earned his undergraduate degee in management with a minor in sports & recreation from Franklin Pierce, and was one of just seven students in his class to graduate with high honors from the Franklin Pierce University College of Business. He was also a member of the National Honor Society. Goss went on to earn a master's degree from Nichols College in organizational leadership in 2020.
Goss currently resides in Coventry Conn., with his wife Megan.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT GOSS
"Adam is a tireless worker and will find a way to do an incredible job in all that coaching involves. He loves to recruit and will bring quality student-athletes to the University of Saint Joseph. This is a great hire of a blue-collar winning worker!"
– Jayson King, Head Baseball Coach, University of Dayton [Goss' Head Coach at Franklin Pierce]
"The past three seasons Adam has been a force in the office, on the recruiting trail, and on the field serving as our lead assistant, pitching coach, and recruiting coordinator. Adam is a relentless recruiter and I am confident he will be able to turn the University of Saint Joseph into a competitive baseball program very quickly. He is well deserving of this opportunity and we couldn't be any happier for him! I believe there are great things coming down the road for USJ Baseball."
– Timothy Mayo, Head Baseball Coach and Assistant Athletic Director, Nichols College