FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
San Jose, Calif.—–Sam Piraro, the winningest baseball coach in San Jose State’s 100-plus year history, agreed to a new three-year contract through the 2014 season. Athletics director Tom Bowen made the announcement.
Piraro recently completed his 24th season as the Spartans’ head coach directing the Spartans to a 35-26 overall win-loss record. He ranks 29th nationally among active NCAA Division I baseball coaches with 784 coaching victories. San Jose State has 17 30-win and five additional 40-win seasons since he took over as head coach for his first season in 1987.
CONSISTENT AND SOLID PERFORMANCE
“With Sam Piraro as our head coach, San Jose State baseball consistently achieves positive results on the field and in the classroom year in and year out. We see success at the ball park with one winning season after another and that is matched by solid academic performance from his student-athletes,” says Bowen about the Spartans’ longest tenured head coach currently in the department.
“I am extremely grateful and appreciative to San Jose State University, and in particular, Athletics Director Tom Bowen for giving me a new contract. It is an honor and privilege not only to work with our student-athletes, but with the San Jose State University community. I look forward to a continued bright future with Spartan baseball,” says Piraro, a 1975 San Jose State graduate who also earned a masters degree from his alma mater.
A COACHING LEGACY
He is one of only two coaches in Western Athletic Conference baseball history to be named the conference Coach of the Year at least four times. The most recent was after guiding San Jose State to the 2009 regular season WAC championship. Only Wayne Graham, the current coach at Rice, has more WAC Coach of the Year honors.
Besides his individual coaching accomplishments, his players received post-season All-WAC recognition 46 times since joining the conference beginning with the 1997 season and earned 20 All-America honors. The Spartans have 51 Academic All-WAC awards since the program was instituted in 2000 and at least one player in each of the last four seasons earned first-team All-District VIII academic honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America.
