Hofstra University Athletics

John Russo completed his 12th season on the Hofstra Baseball staff in 2020 and his ninth as head coach. He is the 14th head coach in program history and was tabbed to lead the Hofstra Baseball program on May 7, 2012, after serving as interim head coach since January 2012. Russo also serves on Hofstra's Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
 
In his nine seasons at the helm of the Pride program, Russo has coached the team to a 173-240-1 record and has seen 10 players signed by Major League Baseball teams, including six that were drafted. Danny Poma was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in the 10th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, while Bryan Verbitsky was a third round selection of the San Diego Padres in the 2013 Draft. John Rooney and Teddy Cillis were both 2018 MLB Draft selections, marking the first time that the Pride has had multiple draft selections in a season.Rooney was a third round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Cillis was chosen by Kansas City in the 33rd round. In 2019 the Pride had two players selected once again as Parker Quinn went in the 25th round to the Washington Nationals and Vito Friscia was a 40th round selection by the Philadelphia Phillies.In addition, Matt Reistetter and Kevin Flynn signed with the Washington Nationals organization as free agents in 2013, Matt Ford signed with the Tampa Bay Rays after graduating in 2014 and David Leiderman signed with the Miami Marlins in 2018. 

During the shortened 2020 season, Hofstra was 4-10 against a challenging schedule that saw the Pride face Pudue, Wichita State, New Mexico, Nevada and La Salle. Hofstra had seven losses by three runs or less and held a lead in six of the seven contests. The Pride went 18-31-1 in 2019 but was 11-14 in CAA play and missed the conference tournament by one game. Hofstra swept eventual CAA champion UNCW in a three-game series and had a pair of Second Team All-CAA selections in Friscia and Jimmy Joyce. Freshmen Anthony D'Onofrio and Ryan Rue represented the Pride on the CAA All-Rookie Team.

Hofstra posted a 23-23 record in 2018 and qualified for the CAA Championship for the first time since 2012. The Pride established new team records with a 3.59 earned run average, fielding percentage (.976) and fewest errors (41). Rooney established a single season mark with 108 strikeouts and left the Pride as the all-time leader in strikeouts as well with 271 in his three seasons. Rooney also became the Pride's first-ever CAA Pitcher of the Year and was also Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and an All-America selection. In all, the Pride put three players on the All-CAA first team with Rooney, Cillis and Friscia earning the accolade.

The 2017 Pride set the team record for strikeouts by the pitching staff with 412 in their second season under the tutelage of Assistant Coach John Habyan. Cillis, an All-CAA First Team pick, established what was then a new single season mark with 96 strikeouts and also set the single game record with 16 over seven innings against Elon. 
 
In 2015 the Pride set what was then a team record for fielding percentage at .970, leading the Colonial Athletic Association for the first time in program history. Freshman Steven Foster earned a spot on the CAA All-Rookie team after ranking fifth in the league in batting.
 
The Pride posted a 20-win season in 2014 and the team set a new benchmark for ERA in a season at 4.89 and tied the then-team record for fielding percentage at .968. Ford earned his second CAA Defensive Player of the Year Award and was one of five Pride players selected to All-CAA teams.
 
Hofstra won 26 games in 2013, tying for the third most victories in program history. The Pride pitching staff set a new team record for strikeouts with 365 and junior Brett Schreiber's 2.48 ERA set a new single season record.
 
In 2012 Russo led the team to a school record 34 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship with a 20-10 conference mark. In addition to the team's 34 wins, the Pride set seven other team records including runs (447), hits (669), doubles (145), stolen bases (157), ERA (5.37), strikeouts (349) and double plays (65).
 
Under Russo's direction in 2012 the Pride was one of the top offensive teams in the country. Hofstra ranked in the top 10 in 11 offensive categories, leading the nation in doubles (2.59) and stolen bases (2.80) per game while finishing second in batting (.334) and total steals (157). Poma led the nation in doubles (32) and ranked second in batting (.430) and runs (78). Poma, who was the CAA Player of the Year, would earn several All-America accolades for his play in 2012, and joined Jared Hammer and Ford on the All-East Region team as well.
 
Russo, who has served as recruiting coordinator and infield coach as well as the third base coach, joined the Pride in 2008 after spending the previous five summers as the manager of the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, leading the team to back-to-back NECBL championships in 2006 and 2007.
 
Russo returned to coach the Mountaineers during the summer of 2011 and led the team to a 26-16 mark and a spot in the NECBL Playoffs. His team set a league record for stolen bases in 2011 with 118 while outfielder Brian O'Grady stole a team-record 25 bags. He also managed the team to 18 wins and the NECBL playoffs in 2012. During his tenure with the Mountaineers, Russo posted a 181-138 record and was the 2005 NECBL Manager of the Year. He has coached more than 60 players who were selected in the MLB Draft, including Christian Friedrich (2008 first round pick by the Colorado Rockies) and A.J. Pollock (2009 first round selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks). Entering the 2013 Major League Baseball season, he has coached five players - David Carpenter (Houston), Darin Mastroianni (Toronto), Rob Delaney (Tampa Bay), Pollock and Friedrich - that have been on the 40-man rosters of their respective teams.
 
From 2001 to 2005, Russo served as assistant coach at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Indiana. In his role as infield coach, St. Joseph's led its conference in fielding and ranked in the top 10 nationally three times during his four seasons. Russo also monitored the academic progress of his team, which compiled an overall GPA of 3.1 during his tenure.
 
Russo began his career in 1998 as hitting coach at the University of West Alabama, helping the team set nine individual and team batting records in his three seasons.
 
A 2000 graduate of West Alabama with a degree in secondary education and a concentration in physical education, Russo had been a teacher and athletic director in the Millburn School District in Wadsworth, Illinois, from 2005 to 2008.
 
Russo and his wife, Stacey, have been married for 19 years and have four children - Hailey (16), Lainey (14) and twins Palmer and Chase (8).

John Russo Coaching Career