Chestnut Hill, Mass. – Head baseball coach Mike Gambino announced on Thursday that Rhode Island head coach Jim Foster will join the coaching ranks as the associate head coach at Boston College. Foster, who will be the Eagles’ pitching coach, as well as work with the catchers, brings 12 years of experience to the Heights.
“I couldn’t be more excited to add Jim to the coaching staff,” Gambino said. “He is widely considered to be one of the best baseball guys in college and one of the most respected pitching coaches. He has done an unbelievable job at Rhode Island and he will make an immediate impact, not only helping our pitchers and catchers, but on our entire program. On top of all that, I have known Jim for a long time and he is a high-character guy and a family man. He is a role model for our players both on and off the field and we are excited to welcome him, along with his wife Narelle and children, Madison, Courtney, Delany and Bo, to the Heights.”
“I am thrilled to be named associate head baseball coach at Boston College. I want to thank Mike Gambino and everyone at BC for giving my family and me this wonderful opportunity,” Foster said. “There is tremendous pride in being a part of Boston College and the baseball program. It is our responsibility to ensure that this program represents the highest level of character, respect and integrity in everything we do. There are some very exciting days ahead for BC baseball and I look forward to being a contributor to the success. Mostly, I look forward to working with the student-athletes and making a difference in their lives so they can achieve excellence on the baseball field, in the classroom, in the community and in the world.
“I have watched the BC baseball program grow and bring in talented ball players in the last few years,” Foster continued. “This team is on the cusp of great things. I believe in the direction of this program and I am excited to be a part of it.”
In nine seasons at Rhode Island, Foster was the all-time winningest coach in program history, amassing a 268-230-3 (.538) record. He led the Rams to six consecutive 30-win seasons, from 2008 to 2013, for the first time in program history and took them to eight consecutive Atlantic-10 Championship appearances from 2006 to 2013. He coached 28 all-conference selections, 21 All-New England selections, three All-Americans, three A-10 Pitchers of the Year and two A-10 Players of the Year.
In 2013, the Rams earned the Atlantic-10 Regular-Season Co-Championship title, garnering their 11th straight bid to the conference tournament, and in 2011, Foster was named Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year after the Rams went 31-22 overall and 16-8 in A-10 play. In 2009, the Rams set a URI record with 37 wins, including three over ranked teams (No. 8 Miami, No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 25 Ohio State), earning him CollegeBaseballInsider.com National Coach of Year Honorable Mention and New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Coach of the Year honors.
In 2006, Foster’s first year at the helm, the Rams claimed the A-10 regular-season title with a 34-16 record, going 19-6 in conference. Seven players earned all-conference honors, including Atlantic-10 Player of the Year Steve Holmes, who led the nation with a 1.30 ERA.
Foster served as the Rams’ pitching coach and worked the catchers in 2005 prior to his appointment as head coach. That season, URI’s ERA ranked in the top 30 nationally, earning him an NCAA Pitching Coach of the Year nomination. The same year, the Rams won the Atlantic-10 Championship, receiving their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
The Warwick, R.I., native was an All-Big East and two-time All-New England selection at Providence. He was drafted in the 22nd round by the Baltimore Orioles and spent seven years with the organization. He also played in the farm systems for Arizona, Anaheim and the Chicago White Sox. In 1997, he was named Baseball Weekly’s Minor League Catcher of the Year and in 1993, to the Topps All-Rookie Team.
After 10 years in the minor leagues, he worked for two seasons as an assistant coach at Brown, where he served as the hitting coach and worked with catchers.
Foster and his wife, Narelle, have four children, Madison, Courtney, Delany and Bo.
