Rutgers Baseball Hires Joe Litterio as Assistant Coach
Jan 17 | Baseball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (January 17, 2012) – Rutgers University head baseball coach Fred Hill has announced the hiring of Joe Litterio as an assistant coach, effective immediately. Litterio returns to his alma mater after serving as the head coach of Wagner College for the last 12 seasons.
“We are very lucky to bring Joe back to Rutgers,” said Hill. “He had a very successful tenure as the head coach at Wagner and is an outstanding addition to our staff.”
“I am extremely excited to be coming back home,” said Litterio. “It is very special to return to my alma mater and work under Coach Hill. He means everything to me and I have learned a lot from him over the years as a coach and as a person. I look to learn more and help continue the tradition of success in the Rutgers baseball program.”
Litterio played for the Scarlet Knights and Hill as an infielder from 1990 to 1993. His teams won the Atlantic 10 regular season title all four years and earned bids to the NCAA Regionals in 1990, 1991 and 1993. The 1990 Rutgers team came within one win of advancing to the College World Series and recorded the most wins (four) in a single NCAA Tournament in school history. A Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 selection at second base after his junior season, Litterio recorded a .976 fielding percentage for a team that was ranked fourth in the nation in fielding.
Litterio’s homecoming comes after a successful 12-year tenure at Wagner where he guided eight players to contracts with Major League teams, including 2009 AL Rookie of the Year and MLB All-Star Andrew Bailey. He leaves as the winningest coach in school history (240 wins), having led the Seahawks to seven postseason appearances after the program had only qualified once previously in school history.
A tireless worker and recruiter, he won the 2009 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year after leading WC to a school-record 31 wins and the program’s first-ever NEC Regular Season Championship. He coached 24 of the Seahawk’s 46 members of the 100-hit club, including all nine members of the 200-hit club, and mentored numerous players to All-NEC honors.
The Cranford, N.J., native started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach under Hill immediately following his playing career for the Scarlet Knights before taking a job as coach at Immaculate Conception High School (N.J.). Litterio moved back to the collegiate ranks the following season, landing a job as an assistant coach under Dean Ehehalt at Monmouth University where he spent the next four seasons. The 1998 MU team won the NEC Championship and earned a bid to the NCAA Regionals.
After spending one season at Winthrop University and earning the Big South Championship and subsequent NCAA Regional spot, Litterio accepted the head coaching job at Wagner and has gone on to earn a reputation as one of the top coaches in the Northeast region.
Litterio and his wife, Michelle, reside in Brick, N.J., with their children – Frances, Mia and Joe. He earned his degree in Sociology from Rutgers University in 1994.
Litterio takes the place of Darren Fenster on Hill’s coaching staff. Fenster, who worked for six years with the Scarlet Knights and was one of the top players in Rutgers baseball history, has accepted a position with the Boston Red Sox. He will work in Player Development, serving as hitting coach for their Class A, South Atlantic League affiliate, Greenville Drive, for the 2012 season.
“While it was a very difficult decision to leave Rutgers – a place I’ve considered home for a very long time – the opportunity to join the Red Sox and return to professional baseball with one of the most respected organizations in the game was one that I could not pass up,” said Fenster.
“I cannot truly express my gratitude to Coach Hill and everyone here in the Athletic Department for affording me the chance to come back to the program that helped shape me not only as a player, but more importantly as a person, as my experiences both on and off the field during that time have prepared me to meet the challenges that await in the competitive environment of Major League Baseball.”
Litterio Year-By-Year
2011 Head Coach Wagner 18-33, 12-20 NEC
2010 Head Coach Wagner 26-31, 17-15 NEC NEC Tournament (3rd Place)
2009 Head Coach Wagner 31-19, 17-9 NEC NEC Coach of the Year, NEC Regular Season Champion, NEC Tournament (3rd place)
2008 Head Coach Wagner 27-28, 17-11 NEC NEC Tournament (4th Place)
2007 Head Coach Wagner 17-34, 11-17 NEC
2006 Head Coach Wagner 18-34, 15-9 NEC NEC Tournament (3rd Place)
2005 Head Coach Wagner 22-27, 13-10 NEC NEC Tournament (4th Place)
2004 Head Coach Wagner 20-29, 12-11 NEC NEC Tournament Runner-Up
2003 Head Coach Wagner 11-36, 10-16 NEC
2002 Head Coach Wagner 10-39, 8-19 NEC
2001 Head Coach Wagner 16-30, 8-14 NEC
2000 Head Coach Wagner 24-30, 14-8 NEC NCAA Regionals, NEC Tournament Champion
1999 Assistant Coach Winthrop 40-23, 9-6 Big South NCAA Regionals, Big South Champion
1998 Assistant Coach Monmouth 30-21, 10-5 NEC NCAA Regionals, NEC Regular Season & Tournament Champion
1997 Assistant Coach Monmouth 23-25, 11-10 NEC
1996 Assistant Coach Monmouth 25-22, 15-6 NEC
1995 Assistant Coach Monmouth 19-33, 8-13 NEC
1994 Coach Immaculate Conception HS
1994 Volunteer Coach Rutgers
1993 Student-Athlete Rutgers 38-17, 14-6 A10 NCAA Regionals, A10 Regular Season & Tournament Champion
1992 Student-Athlete Rutgers 32-17, 14-2 A10 A10 Regular Season Champion
1991 Student-Athlete Rutgers 33-24-2, 11-5 A10 NCAA Regionals, A10 Regular Season & Tournament Champion
1990 Student-Athlete Rutgers 37-17, 14-2 A10 NCAA Regionals, A10 Regular Season & Tournament Champion
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding baseball, follow the program on Twitter @baseballRU. Fans can receive timely information, including special offers and giveaways throughout the year on our social media outlets along with www.ScarletKnights.com.
