Mike Gambino Named New Baseball Head Coach

Mike Gambino is returning to his old stomping grounds to take over as head coach of the Boston College baseball team, an opportunity Gambino called "a goal I have been working toward since I was a player."

Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo introduced the former BC player and assistant and Virginia Tech assistant at a press conference this afternoon.

"We are very excited to bring back Mike Gambino as our new head coach," DeFilippo said. "As a former player and assistant coach here, Mike has the experience and passion to bring the baseball program to the next level. He has already hit the ground running."

Gambino, BC '99, spent the last four years as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech, where he served as the recruiting coordinator and worked with hitters and infielders. Since 2007, the Hokies batting average improved 40 points (.279 to .319), and the first class of Gambino's recruits helped lead Virginia Tech to their first NCAA tournament since 2000 as seniors this year.

"I'm very excited to be back at the Heights," Gambino said. "I plan to continue to build on the success established by my coaching predecessors. It's a goal I have been working toward since I was a player. We will strive for excellence in the classroom and on the field. We're going to work extremely hard as a staff and as a team to get BC into the national tournament consistently, and we're going to have a lot of fun doing it."

Gambino fills the manager position left vacant by Mik Aoki, who resigned to take over as manager of Notre Dame last week.

In his final season as an Eagle, Gambino set the school record for 78 hits in a season. The middle infielder finished his college career with a .313 average, 87 RBIs, and 117 runs. After graduation, Gambino spent two years in the minor league system of the Boston Red Sox before returning to the Heights as an assistant coach for three years.