POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - Head Baseball Coach Matthew Righter has resigned from his position at Vassar College to take the Head Baseball Coach position at Stevenson University. Following his departure, Associate Head Coach Blayne Fuke has been named the Interim Head Coach for the 2023-24 campaign.
Righter finishes his seven year tenure at the helm of the Brewers as the winningest coach in program history and led the team to two Liberty League Championship appearances in 2017 and 2018. After taking over the Brewers in 2017, Righter built Vassar into a strong competitive force in the Liberty League as Vassar finished with 20 wins in 2023 for the first time in program history and registered its first winning campaign since 2014.
The Brewers also ranked among the Division III leaders in batting average (.337), OPS (.895) and stolen bases (85) and registered two All-Region selections in Andrew Kanellis and Reid Lapekas in 2023. Righter also mentored Evan Trausch, who became the second Brewer in program history to be named the Liberty League Rookie of the Year in 2018 and saw Ezra Caspi named to the ABCA All-Region Third Team in 2021.
Fuke has been on the coaching staff full time since 2014 and was promoted to the associate head coach position in 2021. He also served as a volunteer assistant during the 2011 and 2012 seasons and has been an integral part of the coaching staff for the past decade.
During his time as a student-athlete at Rochester, Fuke walked onto the team as a freshman before earning a spot on the All-Liberty League First Team as a sophomore and Second Team honors as a senior. Fuke captained the Yellowjackets to a Liberty League first-place regular season finish as a senior. He helped the team to a program-best 30-13 record his junior year and a Liberty League first-place regular season finish as a sophomore. He was a University Athletic Association All-Tournament Team selection as a junior.
"Blayne has been an outstanding contributor to our athletic community in his time with the college, receiving promotions for both his work with the team as well as his work in facilities/game management. He is well-respected by his colleagues in the department as well as the student-athletes on the baseball team. I am confident that the team will be in good hands with Coach Fuke at the helm this year", stated Director of Athletics and Physical Education, Michelle Walsh.
A national coaching search will be conducted following the 2024 spring season.