Mike Pritchard begins his fifth year as the head baseball coach at Centre College. Pritchard came to Centre from Hanover College, where he served as the pitching coach for three years.
The Colonels have won 70 games in his first four years, 11 more than the previous five years combined. Centre has also won 27 SCAC games in that time compared to only 24 total conference wins in the six years prior to his arrival.
In his first year at Centre, the Colonels made a 12-game improvement, the eighth largest in Division III that year, going from a 4-29 record in 2004 to a 16-20 record in 2005. The team also made a four-game improvement in SCAC play winning five games in 2005 compared to only one in 2004.
The pitching staff cut its team earned run average almost in half from 12.58 in 2004 to 6.62 in 2005 and walked 54 fewer batters. The team's earned run average has continued to drop each year, with the Colonels' posting a 5.76 team ERA this past season.
In 2008, Centre posted only its third 20-win season in school history and it’s first winning season since 2001. The Colonels also qualified for the SCAC Tournament for the second straight season with an 8-8 mark, it’s first .500 or better record in conference play since 1997. In his four years, the Colonels have broken or tied 28 school records and have had 19 all-conference players, including three named the Centre Male Student Athlete-of-the-Year.
In 2007, Pritchard guided Centre to its first conference tournament appearance in eight years, winning only its second conference tournament game in the 16-year history of the SCAC.
While at Hanover, the pitching staff broke nine school records in leading the Panthers to a 72-48-1 record the past three seasons. Four pitchers earned all-conference recognition and three earned all-region honors.
Pritchard, a 1999 graduate of the University of Dayton, pitched for the Flyers and was a team captain his senior year. After graduating, he served two seasons as an assistant coach at Dayton working primarily with the outfielders.
A native of Watsontown, PA, Pritchard grew up only 15 minutes from Williamsport, Pa., home of the Little League World Series. |
