SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Shawn Stiffler has been named the 22nd head coach of the University of Notre Dame baseball program. Stiffler turned the VCU baseball program into one of the most consistent programs in the country in his decade at the helm, as it is one of just seven programs nationally to earn 34 or more wins in each of the last eight full seasons.
Stiffler will be officially introduced at a press conference on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. The event will be streamed live on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
“We are excited to welcome Shawn (Stiffler) and his family to our Notre Dame community,” University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick said. “He’s a perfect fit to lead our nationally-respected program both on and off the field as his approach to coaching and culture mirrors that of our Institution.”
“I first want to thank Father Jenkins, Jack Swarbrick and Jody Sadler for the confidence to lead this outstanding program,” Stiffler said. “My family and I are extremely humbled and ready to get started.”“Notre Dame is the finest university in the country.” Stiffler continued, “It challenges everyone to become the best version of themselves and I cannot wait to continue recruiting, developing and working with student-athletes with that type of mindset.”
In Stiffler’s 10-seasons at the helm of the VCU program, the Rams won Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021, and he led VCU to the NCAA Championship Tournament in 2015, 2021 and 2022. The 2015 NCAA Tournament appearance included an NCAA Dallas Regional Championship, defeating the host Dallas Baptist and Oregon State, qualifying for the program’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional, at Miami (Fla.). The 2017 A-10 Regular Season Championship was the first in program history at VCU.
Stiffler’s teams have shown a knack for getting hot late in the year, winning 17-straight contests from May 7 through June 4, and knocking off the host Tar Heels in the 2022 Chapel Hill Regional. In 2021 the Rams 22-consecutive game winning streak was snapped in the second game of the NCAA Starkville Regional to eventual National Champion, Mississippi State.
During his time as the Rams’s skipper, he accrued a 340-198 overall record, and dominated the Atlantic 10 with a record of 146-71. The 2019 A-10 Coach of the Year, Stiffler guided four Rams to All-American honors, five Freshman All-Americans, 20 ABCA All-Region honorees and 48 All A-10 selections.
Stiffler earned American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA) East-Region Coach of the Year honors following the 2015 season in which he led VCU to the A-10 Championship and its first-ever Super Regional. The program finished the season ranked 17th in the country by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).
Stiffler took the reins of the Ram program in 2013 after serving as an assistant coach from 2007-2012. As an assistant, he helped the Rams earn a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and 37 wins in his first season. Three seasons later, he helped the Rams earn their fifth CAA Championship.
Prior to his time in Richmond, Stiffler was an assistant coach at his alma mater, George Mason. He spent five years with the Patriots, continuing to improve the staff’s ERA year-by-year as the pitching coach. He helped the Patriots earn a trip to the NCAA Regionals in 2004.
Stiffler earned a B.A. degree in communications from George Mason in 2001, where he played under the legendary head coach Bill Brown. He was an honorable mention All-American out of Somerset high in ‘97 and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins. He and his wife Jennifer have three children, Wade, Scout and Penn.
The hiring will be effective at the conclusion of the University’s standard employment process.
Leave a Reply