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ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT |
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Ron Torgalski
Head
Coach
Second Season
E-mail: rjt4@buffalo.edu
Phone: 716-645-6834
Office: 163 B Alumni
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Ron Torgalski begins his second season as the head coach of the University at Buffalo baseball team, but his ninth season overall with the program. Torgalski spent seven seasons as an assistant coach with the team before being named head coach in July, 2006. Following Torgalski's first season in charge of the Bulls, UB's Mike Folli was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. As an assistant coach, Torgalski worked directly with Joe Mihalics, who was drafted by the New York Mets following the 2005 season. Mihalics became the first UB baseball player to be drafted in 18 years.
In his first season as head coach, Buffalo set a new school record for conference wins, with 11, and narrowly missed out on the school's first trip to the MAC Tournament.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to continue to build on the solid foundation that coach (Bill) Breene has established," said Torgalski at the time of his promotion. "I want to thank Warde (Manuel) for this opportunity, and I look forward to the challenge of continuing to build the UB baseball program so that we can compete at the upper echelon of the Mid-American Conference."
Torgalski has enjoyed success in coaching baseball as he was head coach of the New Hartford American Legion team that finished as the New York State runner-up. While Torgalski seems like a baseball guys all the way, he has also served as an assistant coach in basketball at the collegiate level. He spent six seasons as an assistant coach at UB and also for three seasons at his alma mater, Hamilton College, where he helped lead the team to a No. 1 national ranking in the final poll in 1990-91.
It is Torgalski's ties to Western New York that will help him in his first season as UB skipper. Immediately after taking the head coaching reigns, Torgalski added instant credibility to the program by bringing in former Major Leaguer, Joe Hesketh as UB's pitching coach. Hesketh was a standout for Buffalo in the 1980's before being drafted into the Major Leagues.
Torgalski also brought in another Western New Yorker when Jim Koerner came on board as the team's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. What Torgalski was able to do was form a trio with deep roots in the Western New York area and show the local community just how exciting UB baseball can be.
Torgalski attended Nichols High School in Hamburg, NY, where he was an All-Western New York player in both baseball and basketball. While at Nichols, Torgalski teamed up with former NBA star Christian Laettner and guided the team to a New York State Class C title and was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player. From there, he went on to letter in both sports at Hamilton College. As a basketball player, his 10.6 assists per game average in 1989 still ranks as the third-best ever in Division III history. After graduation from Hamilton in 1989, Torgalski went to Sweden and played professionally with the Monstreas Club Basketball team before coming back to his alma mater to coach at Hamilton.
However, Torgalski's heart took him back to baseball and when UB decided to bring the sport back to Division I status, it was Torgalski that former head coach Bill Breene wanted as his right-hand man.
The goal in 2000 is the same as it is now, which is to keep the best players in New York State close to home and there is no better way to do that than to have three coaches who know New York, especially Western New York.
Torgalski, who earned his masters of science in education from Canisius in 2003, is a member of the National Baseball Coaches Association and the New York State Coaches Association. He resides in Williamsville with his wife, Lisa, and their two sons, Nicholas, 7, and Tyler, 4.
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Location: 163 Alumni |
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E-Mail:
ub-baseball@buffalo.edu |
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Phone: 716-645-6834 |
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Mailing Address:
University at Buffalo
Division of Athletics
Baseball Office
163 Alumni Arena
Buffalo, NY 14260 |
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