Jan. 23, 2013

Russo signs contract extension at Hofstra

Hofstra head coach John Russo (left) has signed a long-term contract with the school.

The Pride registered a school-record 34 victories in 2012 and went 20-10 in the Colonial Athletic Association to earn the No. 2 seed in the CAA Championship. Russo began the 2012 campaign as interim head coach and became head coach in early May.

Hofstra set several team records a season ago with 447 runs, 669 hits, 145 doubles, 157 stolen bases, 5.37 ERA, 349 strikeouts and 65 double plays. The Pride led the nation with 2.59 doubles per game and 2.80 steals per contest. Hofstra was second in the country with a batting average of .334 and with 157 stolen bases.

Russo came to Hofstra in 2008 as an assistant coach, serving as recruiting coordinator, infield coach and third base coach. He spent five summers as manager of the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, leading the squad to consecutive titles in 2006 and 2007.

Prior to his arrival at Hofstra. Russo was a teacher and athletic director in the Millburn School District in Wadsworth, Ill., from 2005-08.

Russo was an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana from 2001-05. He was infield coach and his teams were ranked in the Top 10 nationally in fielding percentage three out of four seasons.

A 2000 graduate of West Alabama, Russo earned a degree in secondary education with a concentration in physical education. He and his wife, Stacey, have four children.

(photos courtesy of Hofstra Media Relations Office)