ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– After conducting a national search, Eastern University Athletics is welcoming back one of its own to lead its baseball program. Interim Athletic Director Eric McNelley announced that Scott Renauro '12 will take over the reins of the program.
When Renauro graduated in 2012, he held program career records for hits, runs, home runs, doubles, on base percentage, slugging percentage, and RBI's. In 2010, he put together an impressive .415/.523/.689 slash line. Twenty-five of his 56 hits went for extra bases. For his career, Renauro hit .334 with 114 RBI's in 141 games as a middle infielder for the Eagles. He saw Eastern rise from a three-win team in his freshman season to a team that won 21 games in 2010 and 20 games in 2012.
After graduation, he continued in baseball first as an assistant coach at Swarthmore College and then as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Washington College in Maryland. He received rave reviews from his former bosses.
Swarthmore Head Coach Matt Midkiff brought Renauro to Swarthmore with him in 2012. The Garnet reached the Division III World Series this spring.
"Scott is the guy," Midkiff remarked. "He can teach the game, and I believe that he can recruit athletes that are going to excel at Eastern. Everyone who interacts with Scott recognizes his character and sees his commitment to doing things the right way. He will help the players he has get better and he will recruit talented players."
When he moved to Washington College, Renuaro worked for Matt Reynolds. The Shoremen won 26 games in 2016. Reynolds, who is now coaching at Division I UMass, described Renauro as a strong leader and a person with a great feel for the game. He emphasized Renauro's character and described him as a coach who will quickly earn the respect of his players.
"Scott emerged from a very competitive search," McNelley said. "We had several outstanding candidates. I am convinced that Scott will do all the things necessary to get Eastern Baseball into the mix in the MAC Freedom. We are very pleased to have Scott as part of our department and look forward to seeing our baseball program take a big step forward."
Renauro inherits a team that has averaged 15 wins a year over the past four years. The Eagles reached the MAC Freedom Tournament in 2015.
"I am honored to be back with Eastern Baseball." Renauro said. " I want to thank Eric McNelley, Eastern's Administration, and the search committee for putting their trust in me to lead this program. Eastern is a very special place for me and my family."
Renauro who graduated from Eastern with a B.A. in Marketing and Management has his Masters Degree in Sports Management. He and his wife Amanda met while they were students at Eastern. Their daughter Holly is approaching her first birthday. While he is in the process of building his staff and working on recruiting, his first day on campus will be in the beginning of August.