DeLand, Fla. - The reigning ASUN Champion Stetson Hatters retooled this offseason, adding two new faces to their staff.
Starting on the support side, Nick Restaino joins Stetson as the new Director of Baseball Operations for the Hatters, bringing a wealth of experience.
After graduating from Fordham University in 1993, Restaino became an assistant coach at Lehman College. The next year, he accepted a position as an assistant for the Manhattan Jaspers baseball program. After spending two seasons with the Jaspers, Restaino joined the Fordham Rams baseball staff as an assistant.
On August 5, 2004, Restaino was named the interim head coach at Fordham. He led the Rams to a 34–21 record, earning the Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year honors. Following the conclusion of the 2005 season, Fordham removed the interim tag from Restaino's title. After the 2011 season, Restaino decided to leave Fordham to pursue other opportunities.
Restaino joined the Southern Connecticut State University coaching staff in 2014. In 2015, he joined the coaching staff of Sacred Heart. When Nick Giaquinto announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2016 season, Sacred Heart announced that Restaino would be the next head coach for the Pioneers, where he served until June 17, 2022.
Across 12 seasons as a head coach, Restaino held a 273-331-3 overall record with six trips to conference tournaments.
"Nick and I have known each other for many years, as we competed against each other as head coaches," said Head Coach Steve Trimper. "He has an unmatched wealth of experience, both on the field and with the day-to-day operations of a high-level NCAA Division I program. The Hats just became a whole lot better with Coach Restaino joining us."
Joining Restaino on the diamond will be new assistant coach Cameron Coons. Coons, however, is no stranger to Atlantic Sun baseball, having spent last season with the Queens Royals staff, where he was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. His stop in Charlotte came after a two-year stint as an assistant at Marshall University.
With the Herd, Coons oversaw and facilitated skill development, which featured the coaching and implementation of biomechanical and analytical information for player development. Under his direction in 2021, Coons developed First Team All-Conference USA recipient Luke Edward as well as Ryan Leitch, a Johnny Bench Watch List recipient and current catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
Prior to serving at Marshall, Coons was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Snead State Community College in Alabama. Coons assembled a recruiting class in 2022 that produced a school record for wins, as well as its first Alabama state title and advancement to the JUCO World Series. The year prior, Coons led the Parsons to the ACCC North Regular Season title, which resulted in two players being named First Team All-Region. That success led Coons to be named the 2021 Assistant Coach of the Year for the state of Alabama.
"Cameron brings a wealth of knowledge as a tremendous coach and recruiter," said Trimper. "His experience working with student-athletes will undoubtedly help our program achieve success and reach our goals of championships."
The Hatters are coming off their ninth ASUN Championship title and look to build upon their 41-22 record and NCAA Regional appearance.
