Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Marianne Reilly is pleased to announce the hiring of Dave Miller as the next head coach of Manhattan Baseball.
"We are excited to welcome David Miller to the Jasper family and to our Bronx campus to lead our baseball program," said Reilly. "David is a proven winner at all levels of baseball with a history of success at LaSalle and Penn State Abington. Having someone who values and understands our Lasallian heritage, while being a dominant player themselves, will ensure our program is set up for success. We look forward to him taking our storied and historic baseball program to new heights at Manhattan College."
Miller comes to Riverdale after spending one year at NCAA Division III member Penn State University, Abington. In his year at the helm, Miller led the program to a program-best 33-11 record while coaching Ryan McCarty to DIII National Player of the Year honors and an eventual signing with the Toronto Blue Jays organization, the first MLB signing in the program's history.
"I am so excited to begin this new journey with Manhattan College" Said Miller, "I am looking forward to building something special with this team and beyond. It was a great run at Penn State Abington and I will be forever grateful for my time there but I'm ready to build something very special here in the Bronx. "
Before assuming the controls at Abington, Miller was the skipper for four seasons at La Salle before the school reduced the number of sports it would offer. While in Philadelphia, Miller tallied 76 wins with the Explorers, including setting a program record with 32 wins in the team's final season in 2019. In the same season, the team placed nine players on the All-Atlantic 10 team, another school record, while Miller was honored with Coach of the Year in the A-10.
Miller also brings years of professional playing experience to Riverdale. A former All-American at Clemson, Miller was drafted in the first round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) and played professionally for 10 years.
David Vandercook is in his fourth year as an assistant coach for the Manhattan Baseball program. He has been responsible for hitters, infielders and outfielders. In 2022, he aided in the development of First Team All-MAAC shortstop David Bermudez and outfielder Pete Durocher, both of which had career years for the Jaspers. The Manhattan Offense has been one of the top offenses in the league each of the previous two seasons.
Vandercook, a former All-Ivy League third baseman at Columbia, arrives in Riverdale after serving as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College in 2019.
Prior to working in New Hampshire, Vandercook served on Mike Leonard’s coaching staff at Middlebury College, where he coached the outfielders, infielders and hitters. The Panthers posted the second-most victories in school history during the 2017 season - Vandercook’s first with the team - finishing with a 22-16 record in placing second in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Middlebury also boasted the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in shortstop Brooks Carroll.
Vandercook spent the 2016 campaign at Claremont McKenna College under former Cornell head coach Bill Walkenbach. He also coached for two summers with the Scorpions South high school travel team based out of Palm Beach, Florida.
A 2015 graduate of Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in history, Vandercook was a three-year starter and helped the Lions win the conference crown each of those three seasons. He was a member of the All-Ivy League First Team in each of his last two seasons.
Newly appointed head baseball coach Dave Miller is pleased to announce his first staff addition, bringing Steven Rosen to Riverdale as the team’s pitching coach.
"We are really excited for Steven to join this program," Said Miller "He is coming to us as the former 2nd assistant Pitching Coach at Alabama and Notre Dame so I am looking forward to him now getting a chance to run his own staff. Sky’s the limit and the future is bright for this young man"
Rosen brings a wealth of baseball coaching experience to the fold, coming to Manhattan by the way of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. While with the Crimson Tide, Rosen held the title of Director of Player Development, but his day-to-day responsibilities had him working as the pitching coach. Rosen oversaw the team's implementation of Trumedia and Trackman, analytical software used all through baseball, in order to aid in the development of his players.
Last summer, Rosen coached in the prestigious Cape Cod League serving as a pitching coach for the Harwich Mariners. While with the Mariners, Rosen coached draft picks Noah Dean (Fifth round) and Billy Seidl (15th round).
Prior to his stop in Tuscaloosa, Rosen was in the Minnesota Twins organization as a minor league hitting coach in Fort Myers, Fla. Rosen was tasked with developing and implementing hitting programs for over 35 players in the Twins organization.
Rosen spent a year in South Bend, Ind. with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as the Director of Baseball Operations. While a member of the Fighting Irish, Rosen oversaw the day-to-day operations of the baseball program in addition to having a hand in the recruiting efforts in scheduling recruiting visits.
Before going up to Indiana, Rosen served as an assistant coach at Georgia State for two years. While on the Panthers staff, Rosen worked with the team's catchers and outfielders in addition to working on their base running skills. He also had a hand in the recruiting efforts for the Panthers.