Central Connecticut State University Men's Baseball

Hickey begins his 17th season at the helm of the Central Connecticut State University baseball program in 2016.  In his previous 16 seasons, Hickey has guided the Blue Devils to four Northeast Conference titles, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in each of those seasons. Under Hickey, Central has posted at least 25 wins in 13 seasons, including a school-record 41-win campaign in 2004.        Central's most recent title came in 2010, when the Blue Devils put together the most productive offensive season in school history, on their way to a 33-23 record.  The Blue Devils won their fourth NEC title in that season, advancing to the NCAA Regional that was held in nearby Norwich, CT.  Central batted a school-record .341 as a team in 2010, good for first in the NEC and 12th in the country.  Senior Sean Allaire was named the NEC Player of the Year after batting .426 and matching the school-record with 100 hits on the season.  Central also set school records for runs scored (472), hits (679), batting average (.341), home runs (70) and runs batted in (441).  With an 18-14 mark in the NEC the Blue Devils earned the third seed in the NEC Tournament.  After dropping the second game of the weekend, Central won three straight, including two over top-seed Sacred Heart, to win their fourth NEC title in the last nine years.   The 33 wins marked the fifth straight season, and the ninth time in 11 years that Hickeys team won 25 or more games.   Central placed five players on the First Team All-Conference squad following the season, the most of any team in the league.  Central returned to the NEC postseason in 2014, reaching the 25-win plateau for a ninth consecutive season and earned the second seed for the NEC Tournament.  The Blue Devils finished the season with a 27-22 overall mark and a 14-10 record in NEC contests.  Four players earned All-NEC honors, with two each being placed on the First and Second Teams. 2013 was a memorable year for Hickey as he posted his 500th career victory as a head coach.  Hickey reached the milestone with a 9-4 road victory at Hartford on May 14, 2013.  The Blue Devils finished the season with a 28-25 overall record and a 16-16 mark in NEC action.  The Blue Devils placed one player on the NEC First Team and Three on the Second Team. In 2012 Central finished 28-24 overall and 19-13 in the NEC, making it to their seventh consecutive NEC Tournament.  The Blue Devils had two players honored on the All-Conference First Team, and two more were placed on the Second Team. In 2011 the Blue Devils finished 26-25-1 overall and 17-14 in the NEC, advancing to the NEC Tournament once again.  Central placed two players on the All-Conference First Team, and two more on the Second Team. The four All-Conference picks in 2014 give Hickey 58 All-Conference players in his 15 years at CCSU.  He has also produced three Players of the Year (Tim DAquila in 2003, Keith Stegbauer in 2004, Allaire in 2010), one Pitcher of the Year (Barry Hertzler in 2003) and two Rookies of the Year (Phil Rothkugel in 2002 and DAquila in 2001).                In 2007 the Blue Devils finished fourth in the conference with a 14-14 league record but advanced to the NEC Tournament title game.  They fell to Monmouth, 7-1, in the last game of the tournament.  It marked their fifth trip to the NEC Championship game in six seasons.  They finished the season with a 26-26 overall record.      In 2006 the Blue Devils were once again at the top of the NEC, winning the regular season championship with a 16-7 conference mark and advancing to their fourth NEC Championship game in five seasons.  CCSU lost in the finals to Sacred Heart and finished the season with a 33-18 record, marking the fifth time in six years that they finished with at least 30 victories. For his teams efforts during the 2006 season, Hickey was named the NEC Coach of the Year for the third time.  The 33 wins were the most in the conference, and CCSU posted a league-best 17-8 record at home.               Hickey and the Blue Devils have been one of the most dominant teams in the NEC over the last 16 seasons.  During that stretch, Central Connecticut has won 441 games, four conference titles and averaged just under 30 wins per season.  Included in that stretch are four consecutive 30-win seasons from 2001-04, culminated by a school-record 41 wins in the 2004 season.  The 2004 season marked the first time in school history that the team had won 30 or more games for four straight seasons.       In his 16 seasons Hickey has posted a 241-172 record in NEC action. During that time Central Connecticut has posted a 441-378-5 overall record.  Entering the 2016 season his career record stands at 547-439-5 in 19 total seasons at Providence and Central Connecticut.     Under Hickey, the Blue Devils set a then school-record in 2002 with 34 wins and made the programs first trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament.  Hickey and the Blue Devils repeated their NEC tournament title in 2003 and also grabbed the NEC regular season title with a 19-6 conference record.  In 2004 Hickey and the Blue Devils brought the program to a new level.  The team posted a 41-17-1 record, setting a school record for wins in a season (41), conference wins in a season (20) and after losing the first game in the NEC Tournament won four-straight tournament games to claim its third-straight conference title and NCAA Tournament bid.     Hickey came to the Blue Devils following a successful three-year stint at Providence College, where he finished with a record of 106-61. Providence discontinued its baseball program following the 1999 season and during his final season with the Friars, Hickey guided Providence to its first Big East Tournament title since 1992 and its first NCAA regional appearance since 1995.  Providence finished second in the Tallahassee Regional to host Florida State. Under Hickeys tutelage, the Friars set 18 school records and 10 individual records that season, most notably, winning a school and New England-record 49 games.   Hickey has also been an assistant coach for Cotuit Kettleers (1992-94) in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League.  He had the opportunity to coach former Friar and Boston Red Sox player Lou Merloni and has also coached future major leaguers John McDonald, Jermaine Allensworth and Brian Simmons.  Hickey was the head coach of the Eastern Tides of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 1996.  He has coached both baseball and football at the high school level.

Bio  Charlie Hickey was named the sixth head coach in the history of the CCSU baseball program on June 9, 1999 (read more). He is the winningest coach in program history and has led the Blue Devils to each of their Northeast Conference titles. Hickey graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Education in 1987. He resides in Middletown, CT. AT CCSU Head Coach (2000-present) Northeast Conference Coach of the Year (2001, ’03, ’06, ’17, ’23, ’25) Northeast Conference Tournament titles (2002, ’03, ’04, ‘10, ’17, ’19, ’21, ’23, ’25) Northeast Conference Regular Season titles (2003, ’04, ’06, ’23) Program-record 41 wins in 2004 BEFORE CCSU Providence College (1992-99) Head Coach, 1997-99 (106-61, three seasons) Pitching Coach, 1992-96 1999 BIG EAST Coach of the Year 1999 BIG EAST champions, NCAA Tallahassee Regional finalists New England-record 49 wins in 1999 BIG EAST Tournament champions (1992), Regular Season champions (1995) Three NCAA Tournaments Nine MLB Draft Picks Coached three Player of the Year, two Pitcher of the Year, two Rookie of the Year and 27 all-conference selections Eastern Tides (NECBL, 1996) Head Coach Cotuit Kettleers (Cape Cod League, 1992-94) Assistant Coach 28-14-1 record in 1992, team set 3 franchise records HICKEY YEAR BY YEAR 2000 17-31-1   2001 30-22 NEC Regular Season Champions 2002 34-23 NCAA Regional, NEC Champions 2003 31-17-2 NCAA Regional, NEC Regular Season & Tournament Champions 2004 41-17-1 NCAA Regional, NEC Regular Season & Tournament Champions 2005 19-28   2006 33-18 NEC Regular Season Champions 2007 26-26   2008 25-24   2009 26-22   2010 33-23 NCAA Tournament, NEC Champions 2011 26-25-1   2012 28-24   2013 28-25   2014 27-22   2015 17-31   2016 23-34   2017 36-22 NCAA Regional, NEC Champions 2018 18-28   2019 31-23 NCAA Regional, NEC Champions 2020 4-8* * season canceled due to COVID 19 pandemic 2021 28-15 NCAA Regional, NEC Champions 2022 29-18   2023 36-14 NCAA Regional, NEC Regular Season & Tournament Champions 2024 18-24   2025 31-17 NCAA Regional, NEC Champions   (26 yrs, 695-581-5)  9 NCAA Regionals, 9 NEC Championships, 5 Regular Season NEC Championships                            

Bio Rob Bono came to Central Connecticut as an assistant coach in 2013. A former professional baseball player, he enrolled at CCSU following his career. Bono graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a BS in Business Management. AT CCSU Assistant Coach (2013-present) Northeast Conference Tournament titles (2017, ’19, ’21, ’23, ’25) Northeast Conference Regular Season champions (2023) Coached Northeast Conference Player of the Year (Aidan Redahan, 2025) Redahan batted a NCAA-best .453 Coached Northeast Conference Tournament MVP (TT Bowens, 2017; Tom Curtin, 2019; Buddy Dewaine, 2021; Dominic Niman, 2023; Wyatt Cameron, 2025) Coached 53 All-Northeast Conference honorees OTHER EXPERIENCE Mystic Schooners (NECBL), head coach Chatham Anglers (Cape Cod League), assistant coach PLAYING CAREER Houston Astros 11th round draft pick, 2007 South Atlantic League All Star, 2009 Florida Marlins Advanced to Double-A Played with former major leaguers Tom Lawless, Ron Hassey and Bill Buckner Waterford High School All-American, 2007 New London Day Player of the Year, 2007 Norwich Bulletin co-Player of the Year (shared with Matt Harvey), 2007 Three-time New Haven Register All-State Team USA, American Legion Tournament of Stars East Coast Professional Showcase, Northeast Team Consecutive Babe Ruth World Series’, 13- and 14-year old

Bio Bob Nenna came to Central Connecticut as an assistant coach in 2023. Nenna brings over 25 years of coaching experience at the legion, college and instruction levels. Nenna graduated from the University of Hartford where he played collegiately alongside Jeff Bagwell. He graduated with a BS in Criminal Justice. Nenna currently lives in Newington with his wife, Joy, and two children, Abby and Jack. AT CCSU Assistant Coach (2023-present) Northeast Conference Tournament titles (2023, ’25) Northeast Conference Regular Season champions (2023) 11 All-Northeast Conference honorees Coached Northeast Conference Player of the Year (Aidan Redahan, 2025) Redahan batted a NCAA-best .453 Coached Northeast Conference Tournament MVP (Dominic Niman, 2023; Wyatt Cameron, 2025) OTHER EXPERIENCE University of Hartford (1995-98), assistant coach Interim Head Coach, 1998 New London Legion, head coach Career record: 57-23 Zone Champions (1993), Runners-up (1994) PLAYING CAREER University of Hartford (1989-92) Team Captain, 1992 All-New England, 1992 .330 career average, among program leaders in RBIs, putouts and fielding percentage Grand Lake Mariners (1991, Great Lakes League) First Team All-Star League-high .344 batting average New London High School All-State, State Championship New London American Legion, 1986 World Series, Three State Championships

Pat Hall came to Central Connecticut as an assistant coach in 2009. He was inducted into the Team Connecticut Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008. He graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a BS in Human Services. Hall resides in Bristol with his wife, Beth Ellen, and their two daughters, Kaylee and Ryleigh. AT CCSU Assistant Coach (2009-present) Northeast Conference Tournament titles (2010, 17, 19, 21, 23)Northeast Conference Regular Season champions (2023)Coached Freshman All-Americans (Mike Delease, 2017; Jake Neuman, 2021; Vincent Spizzoucco, 2022)Coached Collegiate Baseball All-American (Dominic Niman, 2023, 2nd Team)Coached ABCA/Rawlings All-American (Dominic Niman, 2023, 3rd Team)Coached Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Year (Dominic Niman, 2023)66 Blue Devils have earned all-conference honors (33 First Team, 33 Second Team) OTHER EXPERIENCE Fairfield University (2005-08), assistant coach Pitching coach, recruiting coordinator University of Bridgeport (2001-04), assistant coach Pitching coach Bristol (NECBL, 2010), head coach Second-best record in the league Connecticut Blue Jays 15-U (2008), head coach AAU National Champions PLAYING CAREER University of Bridgeport Team Captain (1998) Housatonic Community College Team Captain, Junior College World Series (1995)