BY TOM SEIPP, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
In the newly painted St. Bonaventure baseball head coach’s office hangs an old white t-shirt. The shirt has four school logos – St. Bonaventure, the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic and NC State – surrounding the words 2004 NCAA Regional.
That was the last – and only – time the St. Bonaventure Bonnies baseball team has appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
It hangs immediately to the left of new head coach Jason Rathbun’s desk. He sees the shirt each and every day.
“I hang the t-shirt there because I want to be there. That’s the goal. That’s why I’m here,” Rathbun said of sending St. Bonaventure to the NCAA Tournament. “That’s why I got upset every weekend after our seasons were over, because I’m watching regionals on TV and thinking to myself: that’s where I want to be.”
In August 2022, St. Bonaventure announced that Rathbun, better known as “Coach Razz” on campus, would become the next head coach of the Bonnies baseball team. After 17 years as the head coach at Herkimer Community College in Herkimer, New York, Rathbun made the jump to the Division I level.
Rathbun, a native of Little Falls, New York, had an unbelievable overall record of 556-180 in his 17 years at Herkimer. His best season was his last, taking his group to the NJCAA DIII National Championship and winning it, winning the first junior college national championship from any team from New York.
Life came full circle for Rathbun after winning a national championship for the school he attended. Rathbun played at Herkimer for two seasons, but that came after a three-year commitment in the U.S. Army.
Out of high school, Rathbun enlisted. This was far from uncharted territory for the Rathbun family, as Rathbun comes from a family of seven generations who have served in the military. Dating all the way back to the Civil War, General Rathbun served for the New York Army at the time. Rathbun’s parents both served in the Navy and his son, AJ, served in the Coast Guard.
“It’s part of my core values,” Rathbun said. “One thing I hang my hat on is communication, talking, being honest… Being able to communicate with different cultures, different people having an understanding of the world, all that is relative to coaching.”
While stationed in Georgia, Rathbun was able to play in a summer league where he was recruited by many JUCO schools. He eventually ended up back with his hometown community college that would help him become who he is today. After his two years playing at Herkimer, he transferred and played at Erskine College in South Carolina for two seasons. Once his playing career concluded, Rathbun made the decision that he wanted to be a coach.
Rathbun didn’t always aspire to be a head coach, instead he originally wanted to be a general manager thanks to his experience with fantasy baseball. But once he served in the military, Rathbun realized he may be better suited in the dugout.
“Once you get into the military, get leadership skills and find that you can lead men, that stuff kind of translated into an opportunity to coach,” Rathbun said.
It was immediately clear that Rathbun made the correct decision, as his team was nationally ranked in 16 of his 17 seasons at the helm. He credits all of his early success to Herikmer, calling it the “root of my tree.”
After serving as the pitching coach with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League, Rathbun was named the head coach at St. Bonaventure. Rathbun believes that the experience he had in the Cape Cod League helped answer questions he had about himself as a coach, having it also serve as a resume builder to help secure the St. Bonaventure position.
A hectic, but successful, 2022 year was one to remember for Rathbun.
“I think it was the perfect parlay,” Rathbun said. “I won a National Championship, went to the Cape, and then it turned into this job. I think they’re both really important reasons for why I got this job, but I don’t think one’s without the other. I don’t know if I’m here if I don’t do one or the other.”
Now, Rathbun is a Bonnie. And he wants to make an impact.
Rathbun said how he would watch NCAA Regionals on his couch believing that he could be coaching at that level. Waiting for the right opportunity, the St. Bonaventure position opened at the right time for Rathbun to elevate to the Division I level.
After being named head coach in August, Rathbun got to work immediately. In his first 60 days on the job, he had 35 visits from prospective student athletes, signing 12 of them.
“We kind of hit the ground running this fall,” Rathbun said. “But it’s been great to get onto this campus and meet people.”
While Rathbun did not attend St. Bonaventure, he is making it known immediately he wants to be considered a Bonnie. The baseball coach eats in the RC Cafe and the Hickey Dining Hall multiple times a week and enjoys telling recruits about the “haunted” Devereux Hall.
Rathbun has been to almost every basketball game so far this season. As a baseball coach who called himself a “hoops guy,” he has expressed immense excitement in attending games and even playing in pickup games in the Richter Center. Rathbun hopes that once the basketball season concludes that baseball can provide the excitement on campus.
“I love that basketball is during the winter and I can enjoy the hoops games while I’m getting ready for the spring,” Rathbun said. “When that quiets down, hopefully we will provide the campus with something to get excited about.”
Rathbun is more than excited to get the season underway, and his team shares that same excitement.
Jackson DeJohn, team captain and starting catcher for the Bonnies, says that Rathbun’s excitement has had a positive effect on the entire team.
“You can tell how much he wants to win. There’s never a dull moment with Coach,” DeJohn said. “You can tell how much he cares about our improvement and it makes me want to get better each and every day. The energy that he coaches with, you can see in practice everyday. He has helped shape a new culture. You can see the development of our team through the roof and guys are excited every day to get better.”
St. Bonaventure was among one of the worst teams in Division I last season, finishing 5-39 overall. But this year there seems to have been a jolt of energy in the program.
“They were very motivated to learn,” Rathbun said of his team. “The team has definitely bought in.”
Rathbun named multiple St. Bonaventure athletic department staff members, including Joe Manhertz, Ryan Clingan, Steve Campbell and Scott Eddy, as being an “amazing” administration since he’s arrived. Rathbun believes he has the support to turn the program around.
Rathbun’s first game as head coach at St. Bonaventure will be against his former head coach at Erskine College, Kevin Nichols, who is the head coach at Middle Tennessee State, on Feb. 24.
“I want to build a program that alumni can look back on and be very proud of… We’ve created a pretty good buzz on campus,” Rathbun said. “As a program, we got to go back it up. We have to put some wins on the board. And I think this team has the ability to shock some people this year.”
seippt19@bonaventure.edu
