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baseball
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head coach nate cocolin
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Head Coach Nate Cocolin
Former
McDowell (Pa.) High School standout Nate Cocolin begins his first season as
Gannon’s head baseball coach. His hiring was announced July 17, 2007 by Director
of Athletics Bill Elias.
Cocolin spent the last two seasons (2006-07) as an assistant coach at Embry-Riddle
University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He helped lead the NAIA school to a
92-26 record over the last two seasons. The Eagles won a Region XIV Championship
and a South Atlantic Super Regional Championship, along with making their
fifth consecutive NAIA World Series appearance in 2006.
“I’m extremely excited to have the opportunity to come back home and lead
the Gannon program through one of the toughest conferences in Division II,”
said Cocolin upon his hiring. “I’m grateful the Gannon administration has
the faith in me to lead this program and I'm anxious to get started.”
During Cocolin’s tenure as an assistant coach, Embry-Riddle ranked second
in the final 2006 national rankings and 11th in the final 2007 poll. In 2006,
the Eagles posted a 49-15 record en route to the Florida Sun Conference Championship.
Three players earned All-America honors.
In 2007, Embry-Riddle went 43-11 and was the Florida Sun Conference and
Region XIV runner-up. Seven players earned all-conference accolades.
Cocolin worked mainly with the outfielders in practice, as well as providing
hitting instruction and serving as the first base coach during games. He also
assisted in recruiting, scouting, and pitching charts.
“Gannon is glad to be able to bring in a head coach of Nate’s caliber,”
said Elias. “In addition to having local ties, Nate brings a winning attitude
from a winning program at Embry-Riddle. He has a positive vision and exciting
plan for Gannon baseball.”
Cocolin was a team captain and two-time All-American during his playing
days at Embry-Riddle, helping the Eagles to back-to-back World Series appearances
in 2002 and 2003. As a junior, he led the Florida Sun Conference in RBI (62)
and was among the league’s top ten in home runs (7), total bases (110) and
runs scored (56). One of his most memorable performances came against Eckerd
(Feb. 10, 2002) when he hit for the cycle with a grand slam and seven RBI.
In 2003, Cocolin took on an expanded role as a two-way player, adding relief
pitcher to his list of duties. In addition to batting .300 with 12 doubles,
six homers and 46 RBI, Cocolin posted a 4-3 record with a 3.03 ERA, 27 strikeouts
and a save in 19 appearances.
During his time in Daytona Beach, Cocolin worked with area youth as the
head coach of the Ormond Beach Golden Spikes AAU team and as an instructor
at the TeamGuill baseball camps.
Cocolin graduated from Embry-Riddle with a degree in Aviation Management
in 2003. His older brother, Nick, played for Gannon during the 2001 season.
Gannon University~University Square ~ Erie, PA 16541-0001
Toll
Free: 1-800-GANNON-U
Sports Press Box E-mail
updated
4/2/08 by: drt
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