Today: Mar 29, 2024

History made by Coach Tim Shea

Matt GadSports Writer

With a win last week against Saint Rose, Owls head baseball coach Tim Shea reached career win number 467, passing former coach Joe Bandiera.

Say what you will about how Division II coaches have longer tenures because they are not fired for poor team performance like in Division I, but you still cannot discount 467 wins in one place.

Even if you spend years and years in the same role, this milestone is not always reached. With the amount of work Shea has put into Owls Baseball, he is definitely well-deserving of this incredible milestone.

I have known him for several years now—I covered a 27-win season and a playoff game early on in my tenure with the Southern News, and I have seen baseball battle through some tough stretches, but through it all, he has always looked for the positives. Coach Shea always gives a good postgame interview— win, lose or draw—and can become a reporter’s best friend because he is not someone who will give you one-word answers and really puts you in a tough spot.

He’s been an Owl for life: Shea went to school here, worked in the special education department and has really carved out his life around the Southern community, which makes this, even more special.

When I spoke with him after the Saint Rose game, he deflected the praise, focusing more on the teams he has had and the moment at the time where he was really concentrating on the important win and keeping the Owls alive in the playoff hunt.

You can add one more wrinkle to the BandieraShea saga: “Coach B” was Shea’s head coach during his time as a studentathlete on campus, from 1984 to 1987.

In Shea’s senior year, he batted .326 and scored 39 runs, had 48 hits and collected 25 RBI, while junior year he scored 30 runs, had 45 hits and 21 RBI, with a .379 average.

In 2008, Bandiera was inducted into the Hall of Fame after finishing with a career record of 496-426- 5.

With this most recent 3-1 win against the College of Saint Rose on Thursday, solidifying a fourth seed in the Southwest Division of the NE10, Shea and the Owls once again made it to the NE10 Conference playoffs, chasing down a chance to bring home a banner to Moore Field House.

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