Eagle Baseball Camp
Mike Gambino
Head Coach
Boston College
Mike Gambino, a 1999 Boston College graduate, was named head baseball coach on July 19, 2010.
He is in charge of rebuilding a program that made an emphatic postseason statement in 2009, earning its first Atlantic Coast Conference Championship berth and first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1967.
The Eagles went 17-33 in his first season at the helm, but he saw four players get selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. In 2011, the Eagles improved to 20-33, winning 10 games in the highly-competitive ACC. In just one year, the team's batting average improved 19 points, slugging percentage 54 points and on-base percentage 27 points.
The second-year head coach saw infielder Anthony Melchionda and outfielder Tom Bourdon earn All-ACC second-team honors and take home American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-Northeast Region and New England Intercollegiate Baseball Associate (NEIBA) All-Star accolades. Melchionda and classmate Matt Brazis were both drafted in the 2012 MLB Draft.
Since taking over at the Heights, Gambino has stressed off the field success as well, raising the team's GPA as a whole in his first two years. Eagles also earned two spots on the All-ACC Academic baseball team and 15 on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
Gambino, who was an assistant coach for the Eagles from 2003-05, came from Virginia Tech where he spent four seasons as an assistant coach under former BC head coach, Pete Hughes. He served as the Hokies' recruiting coordinator and also worked with the hitters and infielders. In his four years, he saw 15 players get drafted in the MLB Draft, including nine 2010. From 1997 through 2006, only 13 Hokies were drafted combined.
Virginia Tech's batting average improved 40 points under Gambino's direction since the 2006 season. With his help, the 2010 Hokies made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2000 and finished the season ranked No. 20 in the country.
Prior to working in Blacksburg, Gambino spent two years as a regional scout for the Detroit Tigers.
Gambino played for the Eagles from 1997-2000, starting 166 games in the middle infield. He held a career batting average of .313 with 22 doubles, eight homers, 87 RBIs and 117 runs. His 78 hits in 2000 was ranked tied for fifth, until 2011, when his own player, Bourdon, knocked it down one with 79 hits of his own. Gambino's 52 runs his seniors year is still tied for eighth. The 78 hits that year were No.1 in BC's single-season record book when he graduated.
The Garrison, N.Y., native was a first-team All-Big East, All-New England and All-Northeast region honoree following his senior campaign. He also earned second-team All-New England and Big East Academic Team accolades during his playing career.
Following his career with BC, Gambino played two seasons in the Boston Red Sox minor league system. He spent the 2000 season with the Augusta Green Jackets before splitting the 2001 season between Augusta and the Lowell Spinners. In 2002, the Red Sox hired Gambino as a special assistant to the Major League staff before heading back to Lowell for a coaching role with the Spinners just prior to the June draft. Following his stint in Lowell, the Red Sox sent Gambino to the MLB Scout Development Program.
In January 2003, Gambino returned to Boston College as an assistant coach under Hughes.
Gambino received his bachelor's degree from the Heights in English and theology.
GAMBINO'S CAREER
- 2010 - Boston College head coach
- 2007-10 - Virginia Tech assistant coach
- 2006 - Detroit Tigers regional scout
- 2003-05 - Boston College assistant coach
- 2000-02 - Played in Boston Red Sox minor league system
- 1996-2000 - Played at Boston College
Scott Frieldholm
Assistant Coach
Boston College
Scott Friedholm is in his third season as an assistant coach for the Boston College baseball team. He came to the Heights after spending five seasons as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at Navy.
Friedholm serves as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach for the Eagles. In just one season, he worked to increase the productivity and effectiveness of the Eagles pitching staff. From 2011 to 2012, he lowered the team ERA 0.34, while BC pitchers struck out 55 more batters. Eagles' arms increased the save totals while the opposing batting average decreased.
Three BC pitchers have been drafted under Fiedholm's tutelage. After their final seasons at BC, John Leonard and Mike Dennhardt were taken on the second day of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft in the 32nd round. In 2012, Matt Brazis, who spent two years with Friedholm and who is second all time in BC record books with 15 career saves, was drafted in the 28th round.
In the same role with the Midshipmen, Friedholm guided the pitching staff to the highest five-year win (149), strikeout (1,757) and save (59) totals among any other five-year stretch in program history. He developed the first two pitchers to ever be drafted out of Navy while also mentoring 12 all-conference selections, three freshman All-Americans and one All-American. The Midshipmen won 30 games in four of the five years he was at Navy. The program had done that just three times in the previous 110 seasons.
Two pitchers were also drafted under Friedholm, as Mitch Harris was chosen in the 24th round of the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the second player in Navy history to be drafted, but chose to return for his senior season. He was then taken in the 13th round the following year, along with pitcher Oliver Drake (43rd round).
Prior to arriving in Annapolis, Friedholm spent four seasons in the same capacity at Maine, producing a pair of MLB draft picks and guiding the Black Bears to two NCAA Tournament appearances. Friedholm also served as the pitching coach for two seasons at Bryant, where the Bulldogs set school records in both overall and Northeast-10 Conference wins in consecutive years.
Friedholm played four seasons at Providence from 1995-98. As a freshman, he was part of the Friars squad that won 44 games and a program-record 16 Big East games that earned them a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Friedholm earned All-Big East and all-region honors in 1996 and then as a senior he hit .395 with 13 homers and a school-record 66 RBI, earning All-America honors.
Friedholm signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay organization in June of 1998. He played for the St. Petersburg Devil Rays of the Class A Florida State League. In 1999, he attended the Rays' spring training camp.
Friedholm graduated from Providence in 1998 with a degree in history. He lives in Shrewsbury with his wife, Angie, and two sons, Camden and Cooper.
Greg Sullivan
Assistant Coach
Boston College
Greg Sullivan is in his third season as an assistant coach for the Boston College baseball team. He came to the Heights after spending four seasons as the head coach at Newbury College.
Sullivan primary works with the outfielders, hitters and is one of the three primary recruiters on staff. During the summer, he is responsible for running the Boston College Baseball Camps.
Sullivan was named Newbury College's first head coach in January 2007 and began laying the groundwork for the development of the program. In 2008, he was named the national Coach of the Year by the Association of Division III Independents. The Nighthawks earned the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Sportsmanship Award in each of his last two seasons.
Sullivan has largely been involved in recruitment, including his time at Boston College and Newbury College. He also worked with player recruitment when he was the hitting coach for the Manchester Silkworms of the New England Collegiate Baseball League during the summers of 2007-08, as well as with the Carolina Chaos of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League in the 2006 summer.
In 2009 and 2010, he was the assistant tournament director of the Division III New England Baseball Regional Tournament and was also a representative for the NECC to the All-New England Committee.
A 2006 graduate of Eastern Connecticut State, Sullivan earned his bachelor's degree in communications. He was a four-year starter for Bill Holowaty and led the Warriors to three Division III national tournament appearances, finishing second in 2004. He was also the recipient of the Francis E. Geissler Sportsperson of the Year his senior year, as well as the Joe Wojick Coaches'Award Recipient and the team captain.
The Needham, Mass., native earned his masters of education from Fitchburg State University in 2010 and is an adjunct professor at Newbury College's School of Business and Management.
Sullivan currently resides in Brighton, Mass.
To reach Sullivan, email: gregory.sullivan.4@bc.edu
Steve Englert
Volunteer Assistant Coach
Boston College
Steve Englert is in his 12th season as an assistant coach at Boston College. Englert's primary responsibilities are working with the catchers and as a hitting coach.
Englert mentored Tony Sanchez who emerged as the top collegiate catcher in the country in 2009 and was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award. Sanchez was selected fourth overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates, making him the highest draft pick ever from Boston College.
Englert has seen 35 Eagles selected in the Major League draft since he took a position at Boston College in 2002.
In addition to coaching the Eagles, Englert has also coached the Harwich Mariners in the Cape League for the past 14 seasons, including the last 10 at the helm. In the summer of 2008, Englert led the Mariners to its first Cape League title since 1987 and then followed it up with another championship in 2011. In 2012, he earned the Mike Curran Award winner as Manager of the Year after leading the Mariners to a 27-16-1 record and setting a league record 60 home runs.
Englert first served as an assistant with Harwich from 1998-2002, before being promoted to his current position as field manager in 2003. Under his tenure as head coach, the Mariners have averaged 19 players drafted per year including seven first-round picks in the last five seasons. Englert has tutored 37 All-Americans and over 200 players currently play professionally, including over 20 major leaguers.
Englert came to the Heights after spending one season at Holy Cross, where he coached the catchers and outfielders and was also the hitting instructor. He helped tutor the Crusaders to the Patriot League Tournament in 2001.
Prior to his stint at Holy Cross, he spent one season at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he coached the catchers and also worked as the hitting instructor. While at VCU, he helped lead the team to the Colonial Conference Tournament championship game.
Englert's first collegiate coaching job came in 1998 as an assistant at the University of Richmond. In his only year there, the Spiders broke the school single-season record for home runs, won the Colonial Conference, earned a bid to the NCAA tournament and finished the season ranked No. 25 in the country.
A 1987 Boston College graduate, Steve resides in Chestnut Hill, Mass., with his wife, Lisa, and their daughter, Samantha.
Pete Frates
Director of Baseball Operations
Boston College
Pete Frates joined the Boston College baseball team as the director of baseball operations during the 2012 season. A former player, Frates captained the Eagles his senior year in 2007.
Frates was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in March 2012. He played in the outfield for the Maroon and Gold from 2004-07. In both his junior and senior year, he tied for the team lead with five home runs, finishing his career with 11. He also tied for a team-high eight sacrifice hits his senior year and led the Eagles with 19 stolen bases.
The centerfielder set a modern BC record with eight RBIs in one game, going 4-for-6 with a grand slam, a three-run homer and an RBI double at Maryland on 14, 2007. In Frates's junior year he went 4-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBIs in the Eagles' 10-2 win over Harvard in the Beanpot Championship at Fenway Park.
Prior to playing at The Heights, Frates played baseball, football and hockey at St. John's Prep in Danvers, Mass. He was named a Catholic Conference All-Star his senior year and was a member of the 2002 and 2003 conference championship teams.
Along with his BC baseball duties, Frates works to raise ALS awareness and education and funds for research. He and his family established the Pete Frates #3 Fund to help subsidize medical care and expenses not covered by health insurance. To learn more about Frates's story, visit: www.petefrates.com.
Frates graduated from Boston College in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in communications. He currently resides in his hometown of Beverly, Mass.