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John Susi enters his 42nd year in coaching, 32nd as a head coach at the collegiate level, and 25 at the helm of WestConn. He has been the head coach longer than any other baseball coach in WestConn history and has collected the most wins of any other baseball coach (324). His teams have qualified for 10 LEC tournaments, and one NCAA tournament. In 2002 WestConn won it’s only LEC tourney, qualifying for the NCAA regionals. In 2005 they returned to the title game losing to Rhode Island College, and also again in 2016 falling to Eastern Connecticut in the title game.
In 24 years at WestConn Susi has compiled a record of (324-500-2). He has coaches (37) All Conference players, (9) All New England players, and (3) All Americans. He was named Little East Coach of the Year in 2002, and received his 25 Year Coaching Award from the ABCA in 2007.
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Susi started his coaching career 42 years ago in his hometown of Waterford CT. At the age of 18, he guided his first program to an undefeated season and league championship. After winning a second title the next season, Susi joined the staff of New London American Legion as an assistant in 1985. It was there under the tutelage of Head Coach Jim O’Neill where he was schooled in the fine art of coaching baseball. For seven seasons New London Legion dominated, winning 6 straight Zone Championships, 3 state championships, and back to back trips to the American Legion World Series after winning New England titles in 1985 and 1986.
During those years, Susi also became the Head Freshmen Baseball coach at Farmington HS in 1986 and 1987 while attending Central Ct. State University. At Central, he was a four year letterman for the soccer team as a goalkeeper. He was named captain his senior year in 1986, receiving a degree in Physical Education with a concentration in coaching. After graduation, he returned to his alma mater Waterford HS, as an assistant to Gerry Rousseau, National HS Coach of the Year. While there they won 3 straight conference titles, and the class M state championship in 1988.
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In 1991, Susi took over as Head Coach of Montville HS. In his first season, he guided the Indians to a (17-4) record, and a #16 state ranking in the final state poll of all size schools. Montville finished a disappointing (7-12-1) the next season, and that summer Susi ended his long run as assistant with NL Legion.
In August of 1992, Susi was on the move again becoming the Head Coach at Manchester Community College, a junior college in Connecticut. There he took over a program returning only 3 players with single digit wins the prior season, and guided the Cougars to their first regional championship, and birth I the NJCAA D3 World Series. There they were National Runners up losing in the Championship game to Gloucester CC of NJ. The following year they returned to the World Series, winning a second regional title, this time finishing 4th at the World Series. Susi was named Regional Coach of the Year both seasons. The Cougars appeared in the regionals all seven years there from 1993-1999, finishing regional runners up twice as well. He compiled a record of (142-108-3) at Manchester while coaching (5) All Americans.
While at Manchester, Susi became the Head Coach of the Eastern Tides of the newly formed New England Collegiate Baseball League. He guided the Tides to the League Championship in its inaugural season in 1994. After a second straight season of making the NECBL playoffs, Susi stepped down as Head Coach after the 1995 season with a record of (46-40-1). Arriving at WestConn in the fall of 1999, Susi took over the league’s last place team since its inception. The Colonials quickly jumped up two spots and qualified for their fist LEC tourney. After an injury plagued 2001 season kept them out of the playoffs, the returned with a vengeance in 2002 qualifying for the tourney and winning the school’s first baseball title. They appeared in their first NCAA tourney going (1-2) at the New York Regional.
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Coach Susi served as President of the New England intercollegiate Baseball Association from 2018-2019, still serves on the executive committee, and is Chair of the Hall of Fame committee.
In the summer of 2011 and 2012 Susi lead the Southington Jr. American Legion program to two straight Zone Championships, and a State Championship game appearance in 2012.
From the summer of 2014-2019, Susi Coached with Team Connecticut Baseball. In 2015 he led his 17U team to a top ten finish at the AAU National tournament in Richmond Virginia.
Coach Susi collected his 600th overall coaching victory at the helm of his 18U TCB team in the summer of 2018. His overall coaching record at all levels is (720-823-24).
Coach Susi once again moved to work with the Southington AAU Knights. His 16U teams finished with a record of (34-16-4) in 2020 & 21. The 2021 team made it all the way to the East Haven League Championship game before eventually losing in the finals to New London.
In 2022 Susi took over the Southington Black Knights in the CT Collegiate Baseball League. In 2022 and 23 his teams have combined for a record of (33-21), finishing tied for first in the 2022 regular season, and qualifying for the tournament both years.
Coach Susi currently lives in Southington CT. with his wife of (30) years Mary Ann, and 3 sons; Brett (28) a former All Conference Starting pitcher for Central Ct State; Zac (26) former UCONN catcher and player in the Pittsburgh Pirate organization; and Garrett (23) a former member of the UCONN Marching Band and 2022 graduate.
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|
YEAR |
TEAM |
RECORD |
RESULT |
||
|
1991 |
MONTVILE HIGH SCHOOL |
(17-4) |
Ranked #16 in Final State Poll (S-LL) |
||
|
1992 |
MONTVILE HIGH SCHOOL |
(7-11-1) |
|||
|
1993 |
MANCHESTER COMM TECH COLLEGE |
(23-14) |
NE Champs, D III National Runners up |
||
|
1994 |
MANCHESTER COMM TECH COLLEGE |
(29-13) |
NE Champions, D III World Series, 4th |
||
|
1994 |
EASTERN TIDES |
(27-17-1) |
NECBL Champions |
||
|
1995 |
MANCHESTER COMM TECH COLLEGE |
(17-19) |
NJCAA Regional Tournament |
||
|
1995 |
EASTERN TIDES |
(19-23) |
NECBL Play offs |
||
|
1996 |
MANCHESTER COMM TECH COLLEGE |
(22-9) |
NE Regional Runners-up |
||
|
1997 |
MANCHESTER COMM TECH COLLEGE |
(20-20) |
NJCAA Regional Tournament |
||
|
1998 |
MANCHESTER COMM TECH COLLEGE |
(19-18-2) |
NE Regional Runners-up |
||
|
1999 |
MANCHESTER COMM TECH COLLEGE |
(12-15-1) |
NJCAA Regional Tournament |
||
|
2000 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(8-21) |
LEC Tournament |
||
|
2001 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(10-20-1) |
|||
|
2002 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(21-22) |
LEC Tourney Champs, NCAA Regionals |
||
|
2003 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(17-23-1) |
LEC Tournament |
||
|
2004 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(21-18) |
LEC Tournament |
||
|
2005 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(18-22) |
LEC Tournament Runners-up |
||
|
2006 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(11-28) |
|||
|
2007 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(7-26) |
|||
|
2008 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(17-25) |
LEC Tournament |
||
|
2009 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(12-25) |
LEC Tournament |
||
|
2010 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(16-21) |
|||
|
2011 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(19-18) |
|||
|
2011 |
SOUTHINGTON JR LEGION |
(20-4) |
Zone Champions, State Final 8 |
||
|
2012 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(17-22) |
|||
|
2012 |
SOUTHINGTON JR LEGION |
(12-7) |
Zone Champions, State Runners-up |
||
|
2013 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(17-24) |
LEC Tournament |
||
|
2014 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(15-21) |
|||
|
2014 |
TEAM CONNECTICUT BASEBALL |
(15-21) |
|||
|
2015 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(17-22) |
LEC Tournament |
||
|
2015 |
TEAM CONNECTICUT BASEBALL |
(13-16-3) |
9th at National AAU Tournament |
||
|
2016 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(22-20) |
LEC Tournament Runners-up |
||
|
2016 |
TEAM CONNECTICUT BASEBALL |
(17-19-2) |
|||
|
2017 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(15-20) |
|||
|
2017 |
TEAM CONNECTICUT BASEBALL |
(9-20-3) |
|||
|
2018 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(16-19) |
|||
|
2018 |
TEAM CONNECTICUT BASEBALL |
(9-19-2) |
|||
|
2019 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(8-23) |
|||
|
2019 |
TEAM CONNECTICUT BASEBALL |
(22-16-3) |
|||
|
2020 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(0-0) |
Season Canceled COVID 19 |
||
|
2020 |
SOUTHINGTON KNIGHTS 16U |
(16-9-1) |
|||
|
2021 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(2-15) |
|||
|
2021 |
SOUTHINGTON KNIGHTS 16U |
(18-7-3) |
NH Travel League Runners-up |
||
|
2022 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(9-17) |
|||
|
2022 |
SOUTHINGTON BLACK KNIGHTS |
(19-9) |
1st Place CCBL Regular season |
||
|
2023 |
WESTERN CT STATE UNIVERSITY |
(9-29) |
|||
|
2023 |
SOUTHINGTON BLACK KNIGHTS |
(14-12) |
CCBL playoffs |
||
|
Overall Coaching Record |
(720-823-24) |
||||
|
Collegiate Coaching Record |
(466-589-5) |
||||
|
WESTCONN Coaching Record |
(324-500-2) |
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