BROOKLYN, N.Y. — St. Joseph's University, New York (SJNY) Brooklyn Campus Director of Athletics and Recreation Megan Valentine is pleased to announce Rich Pecoraro III as the Brooklyn Bears' next head baseball coach. A 2013 graduate of St. Joseph's Long Island campus, Pecoraro brings over a decade of comprehensive experience in baseball operations, coaching, and program management to the position.
"We are excited to have Rich join the St. Joseph's University, New York Brooklyn Bears' athletics staff" remarked Valentine. "His vision for our baseball program, experience in the Skyline Conference, and unparalleled commitment to building our student-athletes in the academic and athletic spaces impressed our committee. We look forward to seeing our program grow under his leadership."
Prior to joining SJNY, Pecoraro served as an assistant coach at SUNY Old Westbury for four years, beginning his tenure during the pandemic-abbreviated 2021 season. During this time, the Panthers made a pair of Skyline Conference tournament appearances, including a run to the conference championship series in his first season before falling to the United States Merchant Marine Academy, the eventual winners. Nine different Panthers earned All-Skyline praise during the span. Primarily a hitting and infielders coach at Old Westbury, he oversaw a combined .477 slugging percentage and .404 on-base percentage during the 2024 season — both good enough to crack the conference's top five.
Pecoraro is also a personal baseball and softball instructor at MaX Effort Baseball, a baseball and softball training center and gym located in Farmingdale, New York, where he specializes in mechanical breakdowns of the game, fundamental skill development, problem-solving capabilities, and designing tailored training regimens to help athletes achieve their end goals.
His past experience includes head JV baseball coach at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Hicksville and director of baseball at Bay Shore-based Pro Game Athletics, an indoor sports facility with dedicated baseball and softball amenities.
Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Pecoraro was a member of the SJNY Long Island Golden Eagles baseball team from 2011-2012. During this time, he earned honors from the Skyline Conference, the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC), American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings (ABCA), and D3Baseball.com. A standout first baseman and outfielder with the Golden Eagles, Pecoraro set a then-program record for single-season RBI (42) and matched the single-season doubles record (13) while batting at a .421 clip.
Away from the diamond, Pecoraro has been a program supervisor at the Federation of Organizations since August 2018, where his responsibilities include program development and fostering relationships with outside organizations that align with their mission — to partner with individuals, families, and communities to promote wellness, health equity and enrich quality of life — while collaborating with community leaders and progressive healthcare providers to educate and motivate people to improve their health.
Pecoraro currently resides in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens.