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Head Coach Mark Simeone
Former Springfield College standout Mark Simeone in 2009 enters his 13th season as the head baseball coach at his alma mater. With Simeone calling the signals from the third-base coaching box, SC has recorded seven winning seasons, five of which eclipsed the 20-win mark.
There have been many a highlight in Simeone's 11 years at the helm. In the 2008 season, Springfield entered the NEWMAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, but still reached the Championship game after taking down top-seeded Babson. During the 2006 campaign, Simeone’s squad finished 8-4 in league play for a second-place regular-season finish in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC).
In 2003 and 2004, Simeone guided the Pride to back-to-back ECAC Tournament semifinal appearances. During the 2004 season, SC reeled off wins in 13 of its last 17 games, and beat the top three ranked teams in New England (Williams, Eastern Connecticut and Trinity). In the NEWMAC Tournament, SC eliminated five-time defending conference champion Wheaton College in the semifinals before falling in the championship game.
Simeone led the Pride to four 20-win campaigns in his first five seasons as head coach. In 2001, he guided the Pride to a 24-14 overall record and a 9-3 mark in NEWMAC play. SC earned a berth in the ECAC Tournament as the second seed. The Pride posted a 27-16 mark (one win shy of the school record) in 1999, and capped the season by winning its first ECAC Division III New England Championship. In 1998, Simeone was named the conference coach of the year after his team posted a 22-14 record and placed first in the Western Division of the Constitution Athletic Conference (CAC) with a 13-1 mark. In the ’97 season, his first at the helm, the Pride went 20-14 and registered an 11-game winning streak, its longest in 25 years.
Prior to his current position, Simeone served as head coach at Division II American International College from 1993 to 1996. In 1994, his team advanced to the finals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. While at AIC, Simeone was the Northeast regional chairman for the NCAA Division II All-American Selection Committee. He also served as the school's assistant director of athletics.
Simeone started his collegiate coaching career in 1989 as an assistant baseball coach at Amherst College. The Lord Jeffs captured the 1990 ECAC crown and were ranked as high as 10th nationally. Following his stint at Amherst College, Simeone returned to Springfield College, where he served as a graduate assistant coach for two seasons. In 1992, the Pride captured the Northeast-10 Conference title and competed in the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional Championship.
Simeone assisted in coaching future draft choices Hassan Robinson (Astros) and John Raifstanger (Red Sox) when they were freshmen in 1992. Simeone was a pitcher/outfielder for the Riverview Reds in 1990 and for the Newcastle Cardinals in the New Brunswick, Canada, Senior Baseball League. In that time span, one of his teammates was former Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Wise. Simeone has just completed a two-term commitment as the chairperson of the New England region for the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America selection committee.
Simeone is a 1982 graduate from Northampton High School, where he was a baseball and football standout. He earned a bachelor’s degree in health fitness from Springfield College in 1987 and his master’s degree in physical education in 1996. Simeone was a four-year letter-winner as an outfielder for coach Charles Roys, who retired in 1996 after 25 years with the program, including 18 as head coach.
Simeone's All-Time Coaching Records
| Season
| Wins
| Losses
| Ties
| School
|
| 1993
| 16
| 17
| 0
| American International
|
| 1994
| 21
| 20
| 0
| American International
|
| 1995
| 18
| 20
| 0
| American International
|
| 1996
| 12
| 21
| 1
| American International
|
| 1997
| 20
| 14
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 1998
| 22
| 14
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 1999
| 27
| 16
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2000
| 18
| 16
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2001
| 24
| 14
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2002
| 16
| 20
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2003
| 19
| 19
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2004
| 16
| 12
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2005
| 20
| 15
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2006
| 16
| 18
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2007
| 9
| 20
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 2008
| 16
| 21
| 0
| Springfield
|
| 16 seasons
| 290
| 277
| 1
| .511 winning percentage
|
| 12 seasons (at SC)
| 223
| 199
| 0
| .528 winning percentage
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