The Roger Williams University Athletic Department is pleased to announce Kevin Kelley as the newest Head Baseball Coach.
"We had a very strong applicant pool and Kevin rose to the top with his extensive recruiting, coaching experiences, and leadership," said Kiki Jacobs, Director of Athletics, Intramurals, and Recreation. "He connected well with the student-athletes and athletic department. His passion for baseball, experience as a head coach, recruiting, his vision for the Hawks program and his commitment to the development of young men into leaders and contributors on and off campus clearly stood out during the interview process. We are looking forward to Kevin leading the RWU Baseball team into the future."
Kelley comes to Roger Williams after having spent the past two seasons as the Head Baseball Coach at Rutgers University-Newark. While at Rutgers-Newark, Kelley was responsible all aspects of the baseball program including, game planning, scouting, skill development, fundraising, and fitness training. In his first season, he helped lead the team to the New Jersey Athletic Association Semifinals, defeating the top two seeds along the way.
Prior to Rutgers-Newark, Kelley spent nine seasons as the Associate Head Baseball Coach at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. During his time at UMass-Boston, he aided in developing the Beacon into one of the premier programs in New England, culminating in three Little East Championships and two NCAA Division III College World Series appearances. In 2010, he helped lead the team to its best season in program history. Over the course of the year, the team was ranked #1 in the country, won the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship to advance to the College World Series, and finish the season with a then school-record 38 wins.
Kelley is a 2003 graduate of Suffolk University where he was a four-year member of the Baseball team. While a member of the Rams, he was a team captain in his senior year and helped the team win the 2000 and 2002 GNAC Championship as well as the 2000 ECAC New England Championship.
"I appreciate the trust the Search Committee and Athletic Director Kiki Jacobs has placed in me and I truly believe this is the right fit for me.
I'm looking forward to the opportunity to lead Roger Williams and I intend on building a program that will have sustained success and become a power in the CCC, as well as the New England region. However, my number one goal will be assisting our student-athletes to graduate from Roger Williams University and become successful in whatever career path they choose. This will be done by instilling a system that encourages success in the classroom, in the community, and on the baseball field.
I want to thank Athletic Director Mark Griffin for giving me an opportunity at Rutgers-Newark. I have a tremendous amount of respect, gratitude and admiration for him and all he has done for me. I'd like to thank my coaching staff, Josh Miller, Tommy Giunta and Ross Halkias and every player I coached for the energy and effort they put in on a daily basis.
I am extremely proud and excited to become part of the Roger Williams University community and I will always represent this institution in a first-class manner."
Kelley is slated to begin his duties on January 15.