FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham head baseball coach Nick Restaino announced the addition of Jerry DeFabbia and Joe Mandille to the Rams’ coaching staff for the 2010-11 season today.
"I’m excited to add both Jerry and Joe to the staff. Both have collegiate and professional experience and a passion to teach. They are great fits for our program," said head coach Nick Restaino.
DeFabbia joins the Rams’ staff as an assistant coach, following a six-year stint as the head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he was the Knights’ first full-time coach.
Over his six seasons, DeFabbia guided eight players to All-Northeast Conference selections, while 24 players earned New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association honors and 36 student-athletes made the All-NEC Academic Honor Roll. He also coached and recruited to the Knights the 2009 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, Matt Holsman.
In the fall of 2007, DeFabbia was one of 14 Fairleigh Dickinson alumni named to the Knights’ 1990’s All-Decade Team, along with his younger brother, Rob, a catcher for the Knights from 1998-99.
DeFabbia returned to his alma mater as head coach after serving as an assistant at Pace University from 2001-2004, as well as at Iona College. In 2000, DeFabbia helped guide the Gaels to a school record 22 conference wins as they captured the MAAC regular season crown and finished 31-12.
DeFabbia began his collegiate coaching career at Fairleigh Dickinson from 1996-1999, serving as an assistant coach. During that span, the Knights captured NEC regular-season titles in 1997 and 1999. The team also set single-season program records for hits (502) and total bases (758) in 1999 with DeFabbia serving as hitting coach.
DeFabbia finished his collegiate playing career by earning All-NEC honors as a shortstop with the Knights in 1992 after leading the league with a .408 batting average. DeFabbia went on to sign a professional contract with the St. Paul Saints, where he helped the team to a Northern League championship in 1993.
DeFabbia also won a Frontier League championship in 1994 with the Erie Sailors and played with the Tri-City Posse of the Western League in 1995. His final season of professional baseball was 1996, when he served as a Player-Coach with the Catskill Cougars, helping them to a North Atlantic League Championship.
DeFabbia earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1993 at Fairleigh Dickinson. He later returned to school, receiving his masters in special education from the City College of New York in 2000. He and his wife, Jennifer, have a son, Anthony, and daughter, Isabella.
A former assistant coach at Manhattanville College, Mandille joins Fordham as a volunteer assistant coach for this season.
Mandille spent two seasons on the Manhattanville staff from 2007-08. In 2007, he was a part of the Skyline Conference Coaching Staff of the Year under head coach Jeff Caulfield, leading Manhattanville to the Skyline Conference Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division III Regionals.
In 2008, Mandille was the third base coach and as well as the hitting and infield coach, as Manhattanville won the Freedom Conference Regular Season Championship. Under his tutelage, the Valiants ranked 20th in the nation in team batting average.
Most recently, Mandille has coached baseball at Regis High School in 2010.
Prior to coaching, Mandille was a three-year baseball player at Sacred Heart University (2002-04), and later joined the Bay Area Toros of the Continental Baseball League in Houston, Texas, where he was a utility infielder/outfielder for two seasons (2007-08).
