Effective immediately, Mike Gaffney has been named as the head coach for the Adelphi University baseball team.
"I am honored and humbled by being named the next head baseball coach at Adelphi University," Gaffney said. "I want to thank Danny McCabe and Emily Dorko for entrusting me with the continued development of this proud program. I want to also thank all of my former players that helped put me in this position."
Most recently the associate head coach for the Division I LIU Sharks, Gaffney built the LIU Post baseball program to national prominence when he served as the head coach from 2014-2019. In that time, Gaffney led the Pioneers the winningest five year span in program history as the team set the single season record for wins in 2019 with 38. That year, Gaffney was named the ABCA East Region and East Coast Conference Coach of the Year while LIU Post won its second ECC championship and made its second NCAA East Region appearance in three seasons. Under Gaffney, two Pioneers were named all-Americans, three won ECC Pitcher of the Year, four received All-Region honors with eight earning All-Conference accolades.
"We are thrilled to welcome Mike Gaffney as the new head baseball coach at Adelphi University," Director of Athletics Danny McCabe said. "Mike stood out among our pool of candidates as someone who closely aligned with our values. He brings with him a track record of success on the field and he's very well respected in the Long Island/New York baseball community. Mike's family has a wonderful history at Adelphi University and it will be great to see another Gaffney on the Adelphi baseball diamond."
Gaffney's father, Bill, is an Adelphi Athletics Hall of Famer. As the starting shortstop for the Panthers, he led Adelphi to a Knickerbocker Conference championship and an NCAA tournament appearance in 1977. Bill was a three-time all-league selection and finished his junior year with a .429 batting average, the fourth best mark in the nation. In 1977, the elder Gaffney strung together a 30-game hitting streak. Following his Panther career, Bill was drafted in 1979 by the Seattle Mariners in the 19th round. He played in the Mariners organization for two years before returning to Adelphi to serve as an assistant coach under Ron Davies.
A Westbury native, Mike was a successful ball player in his own right, starting for the New York Institute of Technology Bears and being drafted twice in the MLB Draft. In 2002, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 13th round. Gaffney would play five seasons in the Royals' minor league system, reaching the AA level in 2007. In 311 minor league games, Gaffney hit .247 with 262 hits, 118 runs batted in and 326 total bases.
"My family and I are so excited to be a part of Adelphi. From my father being a hall of famer here, to my sons now donning Panther gear, this is truly a full circle moment for all of us. Our coaching staff will work tirelessly to make this program a success, on and off the diamond. We owe it to the proud alumni that support us, and to all of the current and future student athletes that we will have the privilege to work with. We can't wait to get to work and get this program rolling in the right direction," said Gaffney.
For more information on the Adelphi University baseball team, stay tuned to aupanthers.com or follow the team on social media (@adelphibaseball).
