Springfield College Men's Baseball

Springfield College Director of Athletics, Dr. Craig Poisson is pleased to announce that Chad Shade '20 has been named as the head baseball coach and assistant professor of physical education at Springfield College. "It is evident that Coach Shade possesses a strong commitment to the development of students in the classroom, and student-athletes through the sport of baseball, that bodes well for our model at Springfield College," said Poisson. "With his varied competitive and coaching background that stretches across the premier collegiate baseball landscape, I look forward to Chad's impact on Archie Allen Field." Shade returns to Alden Street after serving as the assistant baseball coach and recruiting coordinator at Division III Amherst College over the past three seasons. Shade has also served as the manager of the Pittsfield Suns of the Future Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), as the graduate assistant and assistant director of player development at Division I Kansas State and as the assistant coach of the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). "It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to be the next Head Baseball Coach at Springfield College and return to Alden Street. I want to thank President Cooper, Dr. Poisson, and the screening committee for this opportunity," said Shade. "There is a rich history in this program, and I look forward to continuing to build on what Coach Simeone has established over the past 29 seasons. I am grateful to him and Coach Cerasuolo for their support during my time as a student-athlete at Springfield and for their guidance as I pursued my passion for coaching." Over his collegiate career on the baseball diamond, which featured four seasons at Springfield and a COVID shortened season at Kansas State, Shade hit .311 in 84 games. Shade produced 97 hits, scored 82 runs, hit seven home runs and drove in 54 RBI. He was also dynamic on the base paths as he stole 48 bases which included 32 during his sophomore campaign. Shade was also a four-year student-athlete of the Springfield College football program as in 26 games, he rushed for 1,748 yards and scored 22 touchdowns including eight which came during his senior season in 2019.  "I would like to extend my thanks to JP Pyne and Pete Hughes for the opportunities they gave me to be part of their outstanding programs," said Shade. "I must also express my gratitude to my family, with a special thank you to my wife, Kursten, for all her support. Springfield College is truly a special place filled with incredible people, and I couldn't be more excited to be back and begin working with this team." Shade was a six-time New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Academic All-Conference selection and earned First Team All-NEWMAC accolades during his time on both the baseball team in 2018 and the football team in 2019.  

Simeone was the head coach of American International College, a Division II program in Springfield, Mass., from 1993-1996. Simeone is no stranger to the Springfield College baseball program, as he was a standout four-year student-athlete as an outfielder for head coach Charles Roys, and completed his Bachelors degree in Health Fitness in the spring of 1987. Returning to Springfield College, Simeone also completed his Masters degree in Physical Education in 1996. A local product of Western Massachusetts, Simeone is a 1982 graduate from Northampton High School, where he was a baseball and football standout. After navigating in the professional ranks, Simeone assisted in coaching future Major League Baseball draft choices in Hassan Robinson (Houston Astros) and John Raifstanger (Boston Red Sox). Simeone was a pitcher/outfielder for the Riverview Reds and for the Newcastle Cardinals of the Senior Baseball League. In that time span, one of his teammates was former Boston Red Sox pitcher Rick Wise. Additionally, Simeone recently completed a two-term commitment as the chairperson of the New England region for the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America selection committee. 1997 20 14 0 Springfield 1998 22 14 0 Springfield 1999 27 16 0 Springfield 2000 18 16 0 Springfield 2001 24 14 0 Springfield 2002 16 20 0 Springfield 2003 19 19 0 Springfield 2004 16 12 0 Springfield 2005 20 15 0 Springfield 2006 16 18 0 Springfield 2007 9 20 0 Springfield 2008 16 21 0 Springfield 2009 9 26 0 Springfield 2010 12 22 0 Springfield 2011 11 23 0 Springfield 2012 20 15 0 Springfield 2013 14 18 0 Springfield