NEW HAVEN, Conn. –Victoria M. “Vicky” Chun, Yale University’s Thomas A. Beckett Director of Athletics, has announced Brian Hamm as the new head coach of the Yale baseball team. Hamm just led Eastern Connecticut State to an NCAA Division III National Championship, capping a season in which the Warriors went 49-3. He was named National Coach of the Year by D3baseball.com for his work.
“I am thrilled that Brian Hamm will be leading our storied baseball program at Yale. Coming off winning a national title, it is clear that he is a proven winner,” said Chun. “What impressed us the most is Brian’s energy, work ethic and passion in giving his student-athletes the very best-in-class experience.”
Hamm spent the past four seasons at Eastern Connecticut, leading the Warriors to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 and 2022. Under his leadership, ECSU went 108-30 (.783) overall and 38-10 (.792) in Little East Conference play. The Warriors were LEC Regular Season Champions in each of the past two seasons, going 15-1 each year and establishing the LEC record for regular season conference wins. They won the LEC Tournament this past year, going 4-0 and outscoring their opponents 35-8. Hamm earned the LEC Coach of the Year Award and the D3baseball.com New England Region Coach of the Year Award for the second year in a row.
The national championship was Eastern’s first in 20 years. Hamm’s Warriors broke the school record for wins with 49 (tied for the second-most ever by a DIII National Champion) and tied the school record with a 23 game winning streak to end the year. They were ranked No. 1 in the nation from May 10 through the end of the season. For the second straight year, Hamm’s team had three players recognized with All-America honors.
Hamm takes over a Yale program that has won eight Ivy League Championships, including two in the past four seasons, and produced 41 MLB draftees. John Stuper retired as head coach at the conclusion of the 2022 season after leading the Bulldogs for 30 years.
“I would like to thank Director Chun and the entire search committee for their time and energy they put into this search,” said Hamm. “It is an honor that Director Chun entrusts me to follow legendary coach John Stuper to lead Yale’s outstanding student-athletes. At Yale, athletics play a significant role in the overall educational mission while contributing to the vibrant university community. This, combined with the spirit and passion of its student-athletes, is the backbone of a winning culture that I am thrilled to join.”
In addition to their success on the field, Hamm’s teams have also excelled in the classroom. In 2021 ECSU earned the ABCA and LEC team academic awards for the second straight year. ECSU also had a CoSIDA Academic All-America selection — the third of Hamm’s coaching career.
Hamm was also active in the campus community at ECSU. That included serving on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the Division of Student Affairs since 2018 and working on ECSU’s “Get Out the Vote” Campaign in the fall of 2020.
Before coming to Eastern, Hamm coached at Amherst for 13 years. He spent the first four assisting ABCA Hall of Fame coach Bill Thurston. In nine years as head coach, Hamm oversaw the winningest period in Amherst baseball’s 162 year history, posting a 221-113 (.662) record. He led the program to four NCAA Division III Tournaments and two NESCAC Tournament Championships. His .725 winning percentage in NESCAC regular-season play is the highest in conference history. He was named NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2018.
During his tenure at Amherst, Hamm produced more MLB draftees (four) than any other Division III head coach. His teams also placed more players on the NESCAC All-Academic Team than any other NESCAC baseball team.
Hamm has helped those who work and play for him to go on to highly successful careers. Two of his former coaches have earned collegiate head coaching jobs and three have gone on to work with Major League Baseball teams. A dozen of his former players work in front offices of MLB organizations, and his first two captains at Amherst currently hold significant roles: John D’Angelo is a Vice President at Major League Baseball and Will Lawton is Director of Baseball Operations and Pro Scouting for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
While at Amherst Hamm started the baseball analytics team, and a half-dozen members of that team have gone on to work for MLB teams. That includes two trailblazing female executives, Sarah Gelles (Director of Research and Development, Astros) and Jasmine Horan (Research and Development Analyst, Cubs).
Hamm is a 2002 graduate of Middlebury College, where he was a two-sport captain (baseball and soccer). He spent three years as an assistant coach at his alma mater. He also served as an Envoy Coach for Major League Baseball International for three years, working with amateur and professional teams in Europe. In 2009, MLB honored Hamm with the Julio Puente Envoy Coach Award as the coach who most epitomizes excellence in coaching and player development in international baseball. He is the youngest coach to have received this award.
Hamm holds a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management. He is a native of Terryville, Conn.
What they are saying about Coach Hamm:
Jared Banner, Chicago Cubs Vice President, Player Development
“Brian is a special person and baseball coach — Yale made the perfect choice in hiring him. His preparation, work ethic and competitive spirit are second to none. He upholds the true meaning of college baseball by challenging student-athletes to be the best version of themselves on the field and in the classroom, and is an incredible connector. I’ve begged Brian to join me in professional baseball for years, but his heart has always been set on working with young student-athletes; shaping them into quality competitors and men of integrity. He helped prepare me for my first job interview in baseball with the Red Sox when I was 21, and I know I wouldn’t be where I am now without his guidance and mentorship. I’m fortunate to know Brian as a coach and a friend. He makes everyone and everything around him better and I’m sure all of Yale’s players, coaches and administrators will feel the same way.”
Ben Cherington, Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager
“I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Brian over the past decade. In every interaction I’ve been impressed by his attention to detail, high standards, elite communication skills and care for student-athletes. In baseball we strive to excel at every decision, conversation, practice and skill execution so that it adds up to great outcomes. Brian has consistently built cultures that epitomize this and the results speak for themselves. Yale has made an outstanding choice!”
Perry Hill, Seattle Mariners Infield Coach
“I have known and worked with Brian during the past 10 years; his passion for our great game is contagious. He is an excellent teacher, knowledgeable, patient and a tremendous communicator. A great family man, he is compassionate, understanding and his door is always open to his players. Yale Baseball is already better!”
Jim Penders, UConn Head Coach
“Brian is not only a great baseball coach, he’s a transformational leader of young men. His boundless energy to teach, unquenchable passion to compete the right way, and a spotless reputation as a value-centered, selfless and compassionate example of all that is right with college athletics combine to make him the ideal candidate to lead Yale Baseball. Boola, boola.”
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