Teams: Baseball: Press Releases

Monday, May 1, 2006

BASEBALL WINS 400^TH GAME FOR HEAD COACH JOHN CASEY

MEDFORD -- The 2006 Tufts University Baseball team presented Coach John Casey with the 400^th win of his career with the Jumbos on Saturday when they defeated New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East Division foe Colby College, 12-4, in the first game of a double-header.

Casey entered the 2006 season ranked 42^nd in wins among active Division III coaches with a 382-257-3 record. The team is currently 19-12 with three games remaining in the regular-season and the NESCAC Tournament coming up May 12-14. Casey's overall record is currently 401-269-3, a .598 winning percentage. He is the winningest coach in Tufts history.

To make Saturday's milestone even more special, Tufts won the game with Casey's sons Brian Casey (Milford, MA/Milford) and Kevin Casey (Milford, MA/Milford) in the starting line-up. Brian, a junior, started at second base and was 2 for 3 with a two RBIs and a run scored in the game. Freshman Kevin started at third base and scored a run while playing spectacular defense. In fact, Casey's sons recorded the last out of the game when Kevin fielded a grounder and threw to Brian for a force-out at second. Juniors Bryan McDavitt (Holden, MA/St. Peter-Marian) and Chris Decembrele (Walpole, MA/Walpole) both hit home runs in the game.

Coach Casey attended Tufts from 1976-80, earning three varsity letters in both football and baseball before graduating cum laude. He earned a master's degree in education from Tufts in 1983. As a baseball pitcher, he compiled a record of 8-3 with four saves and a 3.23 earned run average. He was also a member of the undefeated 1979 Tufts football team as a wide receiver.

Casey was 24 years old when he was hired as the Tufts baseball coach in June 1983. The Jumbos have been one of the most competitive teams in New England during his tenure. The team earned NCAA Tournament berths in 1995 and 2002 and won ECAC New England Championships in 1989, 1994, 1996 and 1997. Casey groomed Major League Baseball draft picks Jeff Taglienti and Dan Callahan, and current minor leaguer Randy Newsom.

Off the field, Casey is chair of the NCAA New England Division III Tournament selection committee and a member of the national committee. He is the driving force of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association. Casey was inducted into the Boston Park League Hall of Fame in 1999 after a career as one of the top players and umpires in the oldest amateur league in the country.

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