New baseball coach brings experience to Yellow Jackets
By John Sacco
For The Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
It is not an everyday occurrence in NCAA Division III to find a successful, sitting head baseball coach.
Waynesburg University has found just that in finding a successor to Perry Cunningham, who resigned last month after leading the Yellow Jackets to a 15-5 record in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and into the PAC tournament.
Michael Impellittiere, who had been head coach at Hood College in Frederick, Md., has been hired as the new coach at Waynesburg.
“What really stood out during the hiring process was that Michael knew our program and has a comprehensive plan in place to build upon our recent success and make this program a consistent winner in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference,” said Tim Fusina, Waynesburg’s athletic director.
“We’re fortunate to get someone who was a sitting coach and who has had success. I’m happy to find someone of this caliber. And (Impellittiere) really wanted the job.”
Fusina added that Impellittiere will put together his own coaching staff.
The Waynesburg head coach position is now a full-time job.
Cunningham’s staff included coaches who all have a connection to the university, including Bill Stough, an assistant professor; Anthony DeFilippo, former standout shortstop; Kevin Pincavitch, married to a Waynesburg alum; and Luke Kiger, a university employee. All but Pincavitch are Waynesburg graduates.
One of the team’s top pitchers, Gavin Pratt, said the squad met the new coach.
“We sense what he can offer,” said Pratt, a two-way player and an important starting pitcher. “His experience and success at this level will transition well. It’s a big thing for us to have a full-time coach.”
Attempts to reach Impellittiere Thursday were not successful.
However, in a release on the university’s athletic website, the new coach said “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to take on this role as the new head baseball coach at Waynesburg University. It’s an honor to lead a program with such a strong winning culture and I am excited to build on that success.”
Waynesburg won a school record-tying 23 games and tied for second in the conference with a 15-5 record this spring. Its .750 PAC winning percentage matched the school’s best. The Yellow Jackets lost to Allegheny, 4-2, in the first-round of the playoffs and then were eliminated by eventual champion Washington & Jefferson, 10-3.
In Impellittiere’s first season, he guided Hood to a 32-win season and a trip to the MAC Commonwealth championship game. The Blazers won 14 consecutive games to open the 2018 season — the fastest start in the program’s four-year existence.
Hood finished second in Division III in stolen bases with 152.
This past spring, Hood won 23 games, its highest conference win total in five years.The Blazers earned a postseason appearance and had eight all-conference selections.
Before becoming Hood’s head coach, Impellittiere spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Blazers. He worked with outfielders, catchers and pitchers. He also was the team’s strength coordinator.
“Michael understands that at the Division III level this involves multiple roles,” Fusina said.
Impelittiere arrived at Hood after a two-year stint as an assistant coach at the SUNY New Paltz.
Impellittiere is a native of Cold Spring, N.Y., and is the owner of the Impy Sluggers, a youth baseball organization that includes a U-13 travel team.
He played four seasons at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa.