Sudbrook wins 700th

St. Bonaventure head baseball coach Larry Sudbrook has achieved a great deal in his three-decade career with the Bonnies.
The 63-year-old is now in his thirty-third season at the helm of the Bonaventure baseball team. In this period, Sudbrook and his teams have amassed a number of accolades and achievements, including three Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year awards, 22 twenty-win seasons and an Atlantic 10 championship/NCAA Tournament bid in 2004.
For Sudbrook, the plan was never to win a specific number of games in his career. Now, while reflecting on his tenure as head coach, Sudbrook acknowledged one trait which has helped him in his career: Longevity.
“To me, these 700 [wins] signify longevity at what I do and longevity in coaching at the college level,” Sudbrook said. “There are not a lot of people that get to be a head baseball coach at a university. It is something to be proud of. I am pleased to have had an opportunity to win that many baseball games.”
Sudbrook’s historic victory came on Sat. April 21 in a 2-0 over the University of Dayton, as sophomore pitcher Casey Vincent struckout eight batters in the complete-game shutout. Wins over these much larger schools are a big deal for Bonaventure and, as Sudbrook points out, are another one of his favorite accomplishments.
“Dayton is a school that has twice as many scholarships than we do,” Sudbrook said. “ They have the maximum number of scholarships [for a baseball team] at 11.7. Win number 699 was against VCU, which also has twice as many scholarships as we do. Anytime your [players] and your coaching staff goes out there and accomplish something by beating [teams] with a lot more finances behind them, it is a nice sense of accomplishment.”
After Saturday’s win, Sudbrook said his phone was bombarded with texts messages and congratulations from former players. Sudbrook admits that this, among everything else, is the most important thing to him.
“These are the things that mean the most, people that have played for you and are still locked into the program,” Sudbrook said. “I had guys on the first ever team I coached here that reached out and said I am glad I was there for the first win.”
B.J. Salerno, assistant baseball and strength and conditioning coach, was a four-year player under Sudbrook from 2006-2009 at Bonaventure.
Salerno was hired as an assistant coach five years ago and credits much of his development as a player and a coach to Sudbrook. He also recognized how big of an impact Sudbrook has had on the program.
“It seems like everyday I learn something new from him,” Salerno said. “As a player, I was very thankful for him letting me play on his team and giving me the opportunity to play Division I baseball. He is a great coach, a tremendous mentor and basically everything I know about baseball now I have learned from him. He built this program, and I take pride in the fact that he has allowed me to be a player and an assistant.”
Tim Kenney, St. Bonaventure’s director of athletics, not only recognized success on the field, but highlighted the success Sudbrook’s student-athletes have had in the classroom.
“The 700 wins is amazing in and of itself,” Kenney said. “But if you look at the type of student-athlete he has brought in over the years, highlighting the student side and their GPA’s and what they are able to do, [the success] is even that much better.”
Kenney’s relationship with Sudbrook is a strong one. Due to his previous position at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Kenney also has a relationship with former and longtime UMass baseball coach, Mike Stone.
Sudbrook and Stone have become linked due to their long tenures at their respective schools. Sudbrook has also passed Stone in all-time wins and became the most winning baseball head coach in Atlantic 10 history, passing Stone. When Sudbrook got his 700th win, Kenney was one of the many who joined in on the congratulations but made sure to make one point clear.
“We call [Sudbrook] the dinosaur,” Kenney said. “When he won the 700 game the other night, I texted him and said ‘700, that’s amazing, but man you are old.’”
On the topic of Sudbrook’s age, his hopes are to continue coaching for the foreseeable future. The major factor in this decision will be continued good health. Sudbrook’s love for the process, except for the long bus rides, is still there.
“If I had to throw a number out there, I would like to coach until I am 70 [years old]”, Sudbrook said. “During the season, I sometimes joke with coach Salerno and say ‘How long did I say I will do this?’ But I still enjoy every part of it. I enjoy the players. I enjoy the competition. I enjoy having a win or loss at the end of the day. I enjoy the recruiting. I would like to continue to do this for a while.”