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Larry Sudbrook
OVERALL RECORD: 505-495-7 (24th Season)
A-10 RECORD: 219-236 HIGHLIGHTED ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• 2000 & 2006 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
• 2004 Atlantic 10 Champions
• One NCAA Tournament berth
• Eight Atlantic 10 Championship appearances
• 12 Winning Seasons
• 16 Seasons of 20+ wins
• 29 A-10 All-Conference Selections
• 33 A-10 Academic All-Conference Selections
• 13 Professional Players
• 9 MLB Draft Picks
A blend of talent, experience and a blue-collar work ethic makes Larry Sudbrook one of the most successful and respected head coaches in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Sudbrook's main goals each year for his program remain unchanged: provide his student-athletes with the best possible experience and field teams that challenge for the Atlantic 10 championship. Over his 23 seasons at St. Bonaventure, Sudbrook has built a program which consistently meets those goals.
Sudbrook has accumulated 505 wins over his illustrious coaching career, making him far and away St. Bonaventure's all-time winningest coach. Win No. 500 was extra special for Sudbrook, as his youngest son Cory picked up the save in the Bonnies 4-2 win over La Salle on May 5, 2008.
Overall, Sudbrook has led the Bonnies to 16 winning seasons, eight berths in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, two Atlantic 10 East division championships and an A-10 Tournament title in 2004. St. Bonaventure finished third or better in the East in eight of the 10 years in which the A-10 played with two divisions and the Bonnies are just one of two teams in the conference to advance to the postseason tournament in four of the last five years.
Over his three most recent years in the Bona clubhouse from 2006-08, Sudbrook has guided St. Bonaventure to three-year program records of 83 wins and 47 Atlantic 10 victories. The Brown and White have advanced to the A-10 Tournament in each of those three seasons, making them one of just three A-10 teams to accomplish the feat. The Bonnies also extended their streak of 20-win seasons to 11 straight.
In 2006 and 2007, senior Brian Pellegrini became only the second player in conference history to capture consecutive Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors. Over his career, Pellegrini set four program single-season records and six career records. Thanks to his development during his four years under Sudbrook, the Willoughby, Ohio native became the first All-American in program history and was selected in the 12th Round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Houston Astros.
Sudbrook's remarkable run of achievements continued in the 2006 campaign. After he led the Bonnies to a school record 18 Atlantic 10 wins (18-8) and a second place finish in the first year of the 14-team conference, Sudbrook was voted the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year by his peers. The Bonnies finished 29-21 overall and were runners-up in the A-10 Tournament. The year was not without adversity, though, as Sudbrook's club had to overcome the loss of two of its top starting pitchers, Brian Pellegrini and Mike Proctor. Pellegrini, however, was able to play in the field and put together another amazing season that was capped by A-10 Player of the Year honors. Pellegrini, Joe Rizzo, Matt Agostinelli and John Zinnicker were all named to the All-Conference team while John Zinnicker was later drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 2004 season was the most successful year in school history. Sudbrook guided a young Bonnies club to the school's first Atlantic 10 Championship and first NCAA Tournament berth. Seeded fourth out of six teams in the A-10 Championship, the Bonnies rattled off four consecutive victories, including a pair over top-seeded Rhode Island. The finale was a 3-2 decision over Rhode Island in the championship game. St. Bonaventure went on to play No. 3 Miami to a hard-fought 6-3 decision on the Hurricanes' home field in the NCAA Regionals. Even while playing as many as four freshmen in the starting lineup, the Bonnies finished 29-22 overall and 14-7 clip in the A-10. Among the players Sudbrook helped develop were All-Conference shortstop Eric Wilson, who graduated in 2004, and outfielder/pitcher Brian Pellegrini, who was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball, as well as a second team All-Conference choice.
In 2002, Sudbrook guided St. Bonaventure to the A-10 East crown and a school record 30 overall wins and a then-record 16 conference victories. Three of his players, outfielder Mike Rapacioli, pitcher Kyle Johnson and infielder Mike Sedor, were named to the All-Conference team.
Sudbrook was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading the Bonnies to their first A-10 East Division Championship and 13 conference wins. The Bonnies also qualified for the A-10 Tournament in 1994 and 1995.
Individual player development has also been a staple in Sudbrook's coaching resume. Over his 23 seasons as skipper, 13 St. Bona players have moved on to the professional level, including nine players that were selected in the MLB Draft. Sudbrook has developed 29 All-Conference players, three Freshman All-Americans, two NCAA statistical champions, two A-10 Player of the Years, an A-10 Pitcher of the Year and 18 A-10 statistical leaders.
Sudbrook's players also achieve off the field, as the Brown and White have placed a student-athlete on the A-10 Academic All-Conference team in 20 of the 25 years of the teams existence for a total of 33. In 2008, senior Randy Moley became just the second player in A-10 history to win the conference Student-Athlete of the Year award in back-to-back seasons (07 & 08). Moley was also a three-time ESPN The Magazine All-District honoree and in 2008 culminated things by making the Academic All-America first team. In 2000, junior shortstop Mark Evers and senior outfielder Jason Milleisen were named GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans - the first in program history. Shortstop Eric Wilson was named to the Academic All-District team in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Prior to coming to St. Bonaventure, Sudbrook guided Fairport (Ohio) High School to four sectional titles in five seasons. As a player, he was a two-year letterman at Lakeland (Ohio) Community College before graduating from Kent State University.
Sudbrook and his wife, Beverly, have two sons, Shane and Cory.
Shane was a four-year letter-winner at St. Bonaventure and followed
his father's footsteps as an assistant coach for three seasons.
Cory is currently a senior and begins his fourth year as a member
of the Bona pitching staff.
