NORTH ADAMS, MASS. – Laura Mooney, director of athletics at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), has announced the hiring of Mike Gladu as the new head baseball coach, effective immediately. He replaces Jeff Puleri, who continues at MCLA and will take a more active role within MCLA's athletics administration after serving as the head baseball coach for the past 13 seasons.

Gladu most recently served as an assistant coach at Williams College for the past five years. As an assistant, he primarily was responsible for evaluating players, practice planning and managing the pitching staff. He also is the manager of baseball operations at the Cages at the Mill, an indoor practice facility in North Adams. In addition, Gladu has managed the Berkshire Americans 18U travel team for three years.

"We are excited to bring Coach Gladu on board to lead our trailblazer baseball program. Mike is widely known and respected in the baseball community. His energy and enthusiasm mixed with his focus on player development will help elevate our program to the next level," Mooney said.

Gladu is a native of Adams, who played collegiately at Division II American International College in Springfield. Following his collegiate career, he was signed by the Chicago Cubs. He later was sent to the Appalachian League, where he was a member of the Wytheville Cubs for three seasons.

As a Hoosac Valley High School student, Gladu was an All-Western Massachusetts selection his senior year when he was a pitcher for the Hurricanes' baseball team.

With MCLA, Gladu inherits a program that went 11-18 one year ago, and returns the majority of its pitching staff. He and the Trailblazers will open play in March of 2016 when they participate in the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla.

With more than 170 student-athletes on campus, MCLA is home to six men's and seven women's varsity programs that compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III level. The Trailblazers are a full-time member of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletics Conference (MASCAC) and an affiliate member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) in tennis and golf. MCLA Athletics Department's mission statement revolves around excellence, opportunity and leadership.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is the Commonwealth's public liberal arts college and a campus of the Massachusetts state university system. MCLA promotes excellence in learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity, public service, applied knowledge, and active and responsible citizenship. MCLA graduates are prepared to be practical problem solvers and engaged, resilient global citizens.