Elmira, NY – Pat Thompson, Vice President
of Athletics announced the appointment of Corey Paluga as the first
Head Baseball Coach at Elmira College. The Soaring Eagles will hold
their inaugural season of baseball during the 2014-15 academic year
and compete in the Empire 8 Conference.
“Elmira College is eager to initiate baseball in our sport
offerings as well as in our community. Coach Paluga brings a
diverse background of baseball experiences that transition to
implementing a quality program. His familiarity with NCAA
Division III recruiting and our Conference gives him a distinct
advantage with his main focus in 2013-14 being planning and
building a roster for our first season – we are looking
forward to him getting started,” Thompson said.
Paluga comes to Elmira from Empire 8 Conference rival Stevens
Institute of Technology where he has served as assistant baseball
coach and recruiting coordinator since 2009. During his
tenure with the Ducks he worked closely with catchers, outfielders
and hitters. In his third season at Stevens the Ducks
improved by 10 wins to finish the season with a 24-18 record and
the No. 1 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division
III Metro Championship. Post-season awards for the team
included six Empire 8 All-Conference recipients, two players named
to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Region
Team and one CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America Team.
The coaching staff was also named Empire 8 Co-Coaching Staff
of the Year. Paluga also served as an admissions counselor
and assisted the Director of Athletics with NCAA Compliance while
at Stevens.
Prior to Stevens, Paluga was a member of Lynchburg College
baseball coaching staff for three seasons. The Hornets
compiled an 80-45 overall record (41-13 league), captured two
regular-season championships (2008 and 2009) and competed in the
2008 NCAA Regional Tournament. The 2008 Regional Tournament
was Lynchburg's first NCAA appearance since 2008.
In 2010 and 2011 Paluga served as the Head Coach of the New Market
Rebels. The Rebels compete in the Valley League, one of most
recognized summer collegiate baseball leagues in the country.
Paluga was responsible for recruiting, game-day management
and coaching third base for a squad that consisted mainly of top
Major League Baseball prospects from NCAA Division I programs.
The Rebels earned playoff berths in both years Paluga was at
the helm and had four players sign professional contracts.
"I am humbled and very excited to be named the first Head Baseball
Coach at Elmira College!” said Paluga. “I would like to
thank Pat Thompson and the search committee for the opportunity to
bring baseball to the College and the Elmira community. I am
looking forward to help cultivate a competitive environment for our
student-athletes to develop academically, athletically, and
personally."
Paluga graduated from Lynchburg in 2006 with a Bachelor's degree
in Mathematics while earning four varsity letters in baseball.
In 2009, he earned his Master's degree in Educational
Leadership while serving as the graduate assistant baseball coach
for the Hornets.
Elmira College and the City of Elmira continue to work on an
agreement for the Soaring Eagles baseball team's usage of Dunn
Field as their home practice and game site.