Baseball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- spl3@lehigh.edu
- Phone:
- 610-758-4315
Sean Leary is now in his 18th season as head coach at Lehigh and 22nd overall with the baseball program. On March 31, 2012 in a 10-2 victory over rival Lafayette, Leary won his 327th game, which set the all-time wins mark in school history, surpassing Stan "Skip" Schultz. Leary enters the 2013 season with a 337-434-7 all-time mark at Lehigh.
In 2006, Leary led the team to its first-ever Patriot League Tournament championship and its first appearance in the NCAA tournament. The 2006 season also gave the Mountain Hawks their second highest win total in school history, second Patriot League co-championship and fifth consecutive appearance in the Patriot League Tournament – a feat never-before accomplished in the program’s history. As a result of the team’s achievements, Leary was selected as the 2006 Patriot League Coach of the Year for the first time.
In 2011, the baseball team went 24-21 overall and placed 14 student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, including eight Mountain Hawks who posted a GPA of 3.50 or higher. On the field, Lehigh had three players honored on the Second Team All-Patriot League.
In 2010, Leary took a team that was predicted to finish last in the Patriot League to a 10-8 second place finish in the Patriot League standings. With those efforts, Leary was rewarded Patriot League Coach of the Year.
Leary has brought a disciplined style of play to the Lehigh program over the past 18 seasons, emphasizing pitching, defense and fundamentals. His players quickly adopted his philosophy, as Lehigh finished 13th in the country in fielding in 1997 – his first season at the helm. Leary brings a wealth of knowledge and a high degree of enthusiasm to the clubhouse, making him one of the brightest young coaches in the Patriot League.
"Coach Leary was extremely enthusiastic in every facet of his game as a player, especially defense," says former teammate and player Chris Querns ’96. "You can definitely see how that has translated into his coaching philosophy. He can relate to his players and motivate them to put enthusiasm into their game."
Leary has coached five All-Americans (Pat Hollander, Jack Muscalus, Jesse Novalis, Matt McBride and Joe Ercolano), two All-Region selections (Eric Hoffman and Matt McBride), a Patriot League Pitcher of the Year (Dave Cerminaro) and two Patriot League Players of the Year (Novalis and McBride). He has also coached five players who have moved on to play professional ball, including Ben Talbott, Kyle Collina, Mike Lebo, Andrew Berger and McBride.
A 1993 graduate of Lehigh, Leary earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s in education. He played four years at Lehigh – starting at shortstop his senior year – batting .296, with one home run and 15 runs batted in.
In August of 2008, the Northampton County Legion honored Leary by inducting him into its Hall of Fame, joining assistant coach John Bisco in the exclusive group. Then in November of 2010, he was inducted into Blue Mountain League Hall of Fame.
About his time as head coach at Lehigh, Leary said: "I love the sport, but impacting the lives of student-athletes both on and off the field is the reason I coach."
Leary and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Bethlehem, with their daughter, Ashlyn.
