WORCESTER, Mass. – Greg DiCenzo, Holy Cross’ head baseball coach for the last 12 seasons, has accepted a position as the manager of the Class A Lake County Captains in the Cleveland Indians organization. Director of Athletics Marcus Blossom has announced that assistant coach Ed Kahovec will serve as the Crusaders’ interim head coach for the 2020 season.
“Having worked at the very best college in the country for the last 12-plus years, I am so very appreciative of the support that the Crusader family has shown me, my wife Klio, our daughter Nikoletta and every coach and student-athlete that has competed on Fitton Field,” said DiCenzo.
“This has been a really hard decision for me and my family, and I would like to thank our athletics administration and all of our coaches and staff who have committed themselves to bettering the lives of our student-athletes on a daily basis. Most importantly, thank you to the hundreds of Crusader ballplayers who have forever become part of my family – you are the reason that I love to coach.”
DiCenzo helped establish Holy Cross as a top-tier program in the Patriot League, leading the team to an overall record of 285-323-1 with a 137-109 mark in regular-season conference play. DiCenzo’s teams won at least 20 games in 10 of his 12 seasons, while claiming the first Patriot League championship in program history and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. Holy Cross also appeared in the Patriot League championship series in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2016, and qualified for the conference tournament in seven of the last eight years.
During the 2012 season, DiCenzo earned New England Coach of the Year honors after leading the Crusaders to a program single-season record 33 victories. Also a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year selection (2008 and 2013), he coached 18 players who signed professional contracts, including eight selections in Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft. DiCenzo ends his tenure as the third-winningest coach in program history and stands seventh in all-time victories by a Holy Cross head coach in any sport.
“I want to thank Greg for his commitment and dedication to developing this program into a leader in the Patriot League,” said Blossom. “This is a fantastic opportunity for him to pursue his dream of coaching in professional baseball. I look forward to supporting Coach Kahovec and his staff as he leads our program to another successful season in 2020, and we wish Greg all the best as he takes this next step.”
Kahovec enters his fourth season at Holy Cross, after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from 2017-19. The Crusaders qualified for the Patriot League Tournament during each of his first three years on the coaching staff, winning the Patriot League title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2017.
Prior to his time at Holy Cross, Kahovec served as the head baseball coach and assistant director of athletics at Bard College from 2012-16, building a program from scratch after the school had not fielded a baseball team since 1937. He was previously on the coaching staff at the University of Rochester from 2009-12, helping the team to two University Athletic Association championships, two regular-season Liberty League titles and three conference tournament appearances. Kahovec earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and English from Rochester in 2008, earning All-Liberty League honors three times.
