Montclair State baseball coach Norm
Schoenig captured his 500th career victory on April 20 when
the Red Hawks upset No. 4 ranked Eastern Connecticut in Willimantic,
CT, 4-3. Now in his 17th year at the helm of the Montclair State program,
Schoenig has compiled a career record of 500-231-8.
Schoenig's 500 victories are the most by any coach in any sport in
the history of the Montclair State athletic program. His resume also
includes two NCAA Division IIII National Championships (1993, 2000),
five New Jersey Athletic Conference titles, six NCAA Regional
championships, six appearances in the Division III World Series, and
a national runner-up finish in 1998. He has twice been named the
Division III National Coach of the Year and six times he was chosen
as the NJAC Coach of the Year.
A former player under legendary coach Clary Anderson in the 1970's,
"Moose", as he is known to most people, returned to Montclair State
in 1988 as the 10th head coach in the history of the program.
Inheriting a team that had just won the NCAA title, it took him just
three seasons to return to the World Series, and by his sixth season
he delivered the Red Hawks their second baseball national
championship when his band of players topped Wisconsin Oshkosh, 3-1
to win the 1993 crown. Five years later, he nearly pulled off
another championship, but instead had to settle for second place.
In 2000, MSU posted an
unprecedented 42-7-1 overall record, setting the school mark for
victories while posting an amazing 17-1 mark in the NJAC. His team
would go on to capture the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional title and
earned a berth to the Division III World Series. At the World
Series, MSU lost its first game, but rebounded with five straight
wins, culminating with a 6-2 victory over St. Thomas (MN) to give
the Red Hawks their third national championship.
The following year, Montclair
came very close to becoming the first team to repeat as national
champions since 1979 as they placed third at the World Series.
In 1997, Schoenig surpassed
former Montclair coach and Director of Athletics Bill Dioguardi as
the all-time winningest coach when MSU defeated Albright in
Pennsylvania, 6-3, giving him his 291st victory. Schoenig
accomplished the feat in just 10 seasons. He has produced seven
30-win seasons and currently ranks among the all-time Division III
coaching leaders in percentage (.682) and victories. His NJAC record
stands at 215-61-1, for a .778 winning percentage and includes
back-to-back 17-1 records in 2000 and 2001 and a 62-10 ledger from
1998-2001.
During his tenure, 17 players
have been named All-Americans, with 14 Red Hawks signing
professional contracts, including Corey Hamman and Brian Ellerson
who were chosen in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. |