PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Feb. 20, 2014) – After 37 years and 1,089 victories at the collegiate level, Rutgers baseball head coach Fred Hill has announced his retirement from coaching, effective immediately. The veteran mentor owns a career record of 1,089-749-9 (.592) overall and 941-658-7 (.588) in 30 seasons at Rutgers. He earned 11 NCAA Regional appearances, 12 regular season conference championships and eight conference tournament titles during his tenure with the Scarlet Knights.
“It has been a heck of a run,” Hill said. “I enjoyed every second during my time at Rutgers. Thirty years is a long time, but it came and went very quickly. I want to say thank you to everyone involved.”
“Coach Hill gave his passion and purpose to Rutgers baseball for 30 years,” Director of Athletics Julie Hermann said. “His contribution to our department is immeasurable both as a coach and a great ambassador of our University. His leadership and inspiration will be missed.”
Ranked 32nd in college baseball history in wins, Hill earned his 1,000th career victory April 17, 2010 against USF in front of a record crowd of 1,124 fans at Bainton Field. His final win also came against USF, a thrilling 2-1 victory on May 25, 2013 in an elimination game that sent the Scarlet Knights to the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals.
During his career, Hill sent 72 players to professional baseball and developed 20 All-Americans. Currently, Todd Frazier of the Cincinnati Reds and David DeJesus of the Tampa Bay Rays represent Rutgers in Major League Baseball.
After a successful career as a high school coach in New Jersey, Hill made the jump up to the collegiate level in 1977 at Montclair State. He led the Red Hawks to a 148-91-2 mark in seven seasons, including two NJAC championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances and the Division III World Series in 1983. Hill was also the football coach and went 55-13-4 in the seven years with five NJAC titles. A true representation of his successful contribution to the Montclair State program, the school’s athletic department retired his No. 24 jersey in February of 2010 – only the third number retired in school history.
Hill next decided to make the move to Piscataway in 1984 to become the 11th head coach in Rutgers baseball history. Rebuilding the team into a northeast baseball power, he won eight straight Atlantic 10 regular season titles starting in 1986 to advance RU to the NCAA Tournament five times in that stretch.
Hill continued that success after the program moved to the BIG EAST and became the second-winningest coach in conference history, with 267 victories in the league over 19 seasons. His first championship in the BIG EAST came in 1998 as he earned Coach of the Year honors and won both the regular season and tournament title. That started a stretch of five NCAA berths in six years that included hosting an NCAA Regional in 2000, a rarity for a northeast school.
The 2007 team was among the best for Hill, as it tied the school record with 42 wins and won both the BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles. Named ABCA East Region Coach of the Year, the Scarlet Knights earned the No. 2 seed in the Charlottesville Regional. A school-record six players off that team were selected in the ensuing MLB Draft.
In his final season, Hill guided the Scarlet Knights to the semifinals of the 2013 BIG EAST Championships with two wins facing elimination. The team defeated College World Series participant Louisville in three-of-four meetings, including a 9-1 victory in the postseason. In addition, three players earned BIG EAST honors, with three others signing professional contracts following the season. The program fundraised over $13,500 towards the Vs. Cancer Foundation off the field.
Hill lives in Verona, N.J., with his wife of more than 55 years, Evelyn. They are the proud parents of six children: Nancy, Fred, Linda, Jim, Tracey and Karen. They also have nine grandchildren: Jessica, Danielle, Brian, James, Natalie, Nicholas, Alexandra, Giselle and Giancarlo.
Hill Year-by-Year
At Montclair State University
1977 17-12-0 .587
1978 21-12-0 .636 NJAC Champion NCAA
1979 17-15-0 .531
1980 19-14-0 .576 NJAC Champion
1981 18-10-0 .643
1982 25-14-1 .638 NCAA
1983 31-14-1 .685 NCAA World Series
TOTAL 148-91-2 .618
At Rutgers University
1984 13-21-0 .382
1985 25-15-0 .625
1986 28-18-0 .609 A-10 RS/Tour. Champ. NCAA
1987 36-14-1 .716 A-10 RS Champ.
1988 38-21-1 .642 A-10 RS/Tour. Champ. NCAA
1989 34-19-0 .642 A-10 RS Champ.
1990 37-19-0 .660 A-10 RS/Tour. Champ. NCAA
1991 33-24-2 .576 A-10 RS/Tour. Champ. NCAA
1992 32-17-0 .653 A-10 RS Champ.
1993 38-17-0 .691 A-10 RS/Tour. Champ. NCAA
1994 28-19-0 .596
1995 28-29-0 .491
1996 32-21-1 .602
1997 28-24-0 .538
1998 33-16-0 .673 BE RS/Tour. Champ. NCAA
1999 37-21-0 .657 NCAA
2000 40-18-0 .690 BE RS/Tour. Champ. NCAA
2001 42-17-0 .712 NCAA
2002 35-22-0 .614
2003 37-22-0 .627 BE RS Champ. NCAA
2004 30-23-0 .567
2005 32-21-0 .604
2006 29-28-1 .509
2007 42-21-0 .667 BE RS/Tour. Champ NCAA
2008 23-29-1 .443
2009 22-31-0 .415
2010 30-26-0 .536
2011 20-30-0 .400
2012 31-25-0 .554
2013 28-30-0 .483
TOTAL 941-658-7 .588
CAREER 1,089-749-9 .592
