PHILADELPHIA – Saint Joseph's head baseball coach Fritz Hamburg has announced the addition of Nick Hill to the Hawk coaching staff. Hill joins the program in time for the 2015-16 academic year.
Hill was the three-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year during his stint at Army, where he pitched during Hamburg's tenure as an assistant coach. He replaces David Valesente, who was recently named the first head coach of the new varsity baseball program at Wells College.
“I would like to begin by thanking David Valesente for his commitment and contributions to our program during his four years as a player, as well as his two years on our coaching staff,” Hamburg said. “David is a Hawk through and through and our coaches and players are all better for his involvement with our program. We are very excited for him as he ventures forward with this next chapter in his life as the new head coach at Wells and certainly wish him and his fiancé, Meg, the very best.
“As we move ahead, I am very pleased to announce the hiring of Nick Hill to our staff,” Hamburg continued. “I had the privilege of coaching Nick for four years while at West Point. He was a big part of a great stretch of success that the Army baseball program has experienced. His accomplishments as a player, both collegiately and professionally, speak for themselves. Nick brings a great deal of experience to our program, but equally important, he brings a top-level character and leadership skillset.”
A native of Bluff City, Tennessee, Hill holds the West Point record for career victories in the modern era, posting a 33-12 career mark in 51 appearances. His 2.20 career earned run average ranks fourth in the history of the Academy, while his 336 strikeouts and 327.2 innings pitched far outpace any other pitcher in West Point history.
Hill was a two-time All-American, the first player in West Point history to achieve that feat, and was the first player in Patriot League history to earn First Team All-Conference honors for four consecutive seasons. He was also the league's first-ever three-time Pitcher of the Year, and won a gold medal with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team at the 2006 FISU World Championship.
Selected in the seventh round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners, Hill also spent time in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He is the highest draft pick in the Academy's history, and was the first Black Knight ever invited to a Major League camp when he joined the Mariners for Spring Training in 2010.
“I am very excited to have an opportunity to be a part of the Saint Joseph's community and its baseball program,” Hill said. “I have been fortunate to play under Coach Hamburg while he was the pitching coach at West Point, as well as many former big league players and various coaches who are extremely knowledgeable about the game. I have also learned a great deal from the players that I have competed with and against throughout my professional career. I look forward to using these experiences to give back to our players here at SJU and help to continue to grow our program on Hawk Hill.”
Hill graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy, earning his degree in systems engineering in 2007. He also earned his MBA from Arizona State in 2013. Hill will serve as the Hawks' pitching coach and will also coordinate the program's camps and clinics.
