GREENSBORO, N.C. (Tuesday, June 24, 2025) - The American Baseball Coaches Association and ATEC are proud to recognize the 2025 National and Regional Coaches of the Year in all collegiate and high school divisions, with Salve Regina's
Eric Cirella '05 earning NCAA Division III Region 1 accolades.Â
"I always tell the players that accolades and recognition come when you win," says the head coach of the 2025 NEWMAC Champions and back-to-back NCAA Regional titlists. "Awards like this are gratifying, but they come from our success on the field. And on the field, I have been blessed to work with many great coaches and talented student-athletes, all of whom are high-character first. So really, this award is for them as much as it is for me." -- Seahawk head baseball coach Eric Cirella '05
2025 ABCA/ATEC National Coaches of the Year
NCAA Div. I:Â Jay Johnson, LSU
NCAA Div. II:Â Joe Urso, Tampa (Fla.)
NCAA Div. III:Â John Vodenlich, Wisconsin-Whitewater
NAIA:Â Brad Neffendorf, LSU Shreveport
NJCAA Div. I:Â David Nelson, Salt Lake (Utah)
NJCAA Div. II:Â Lyndon Coleman, Pasco-Hernando State (Fla.)
NJCAA Div. III:Â Rob Valli, RCSJ Gloucester (N.J.)
Pacific Association Division:Â John Knott, Mt. San Antonio (Calif.)
High School Div. I:Â Joe Giummule, Jupiter (Fla.)
High School Div. II:Â Chris Roof, Governor Livingston (N.J.)
High School Div. III:Â Josh Raney, Blanchard (Okla.)
The 2025 Seahawks captured their first-ever New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament championship - after winning their second-straight regular-season title in their two years in the league - on a Mother's Day walk-off single in extra innings by Tyler Petrosino after Shane Williams had led off the 10th with a triple. Cirella's crew then earned the top seed in the Harrisburg Regional and swept through their three games in Pennsylvania for their second-straight regional championship (wins over Keene State, host Penn State Harrisburg, and the College of New Jersey). The 15-1 clincher over TCNJ represented a program-high 20-game win streak; the previous best had been a 17-game win streak in 2023.
Cirella's milestones in 2025 included becoming only the second head coach in Seahawk history to amass 300 career wins (3/1/2025) and then surpassing his dad, Steve Cirella, as the all-time winningest coach in program history (No. 319 on 4/24/2025). In his 12 seasons as head coach, Eric Cirella's teams have won 30 or more games five times including the last four consecutive seasons. He now owns a career mark of 332 wins, 143 losses, and six ties for a .696 winning percentage.
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The 2025 ABCA/ATEC National Coaches of the Year will be honored on Friday, January 9, 2026, at the ABCA Convention in Washington, D.C., on the main clinic stage prior to the start of clinics.
The ABCA/ATEC National and Regional Coaches of the Year are selected by members of the ABCA All-America & Coach of the Year committees in all nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division and high school.
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.
About ATEC Sports
ATEC Sports manufactures industry-leading training equipment and machines for elite baseball and softball programs. From training machines to tees, nets and screens, ATEC sets the standard when it comes to equipment today and is the Official Training Equipment of Major League Baseball. You can learn more about all these products – including the revolutionary M3X training machine – at http://atecsports.com.
