Joe Raccuia
Head Baseball Coach
Record at Radford: 79-82 (3 seasons)
Career Record: 138-133 (5 seasons)
For Radford head baseball coach Joe Raccuia, the Highlander uniform is a comfortable, familiar fit.
Raccuia, a 1995 Radford graduate, returned to his roots on July 10, 2007, when he was named the fifth head coach in Radford baseball history. His path home has been a busy one, ranging from the head coaching job at Marist to an assistant’s position at Alabama. In each case, he’s had a successful run, setting the stage for his return to his alma mater.
A Radford uniform is also a winning fit for Raccuia: he’s been a part of 155 total wins as a player (1994-95), assistant coach (1996) and head coach (2008-present), better than 30 percent of the program’s all-time victories dating back to 1985.
In each of his three years the Highlanders have improved on their win total, including a 29-win campaign in 2010, the second-most single-season wins in school history. Entering the 2011 season, Radford is the only Big South school to improve its win total each season over the last five years.
Raccuia’s on-field success can be attributed to his work in player development: a nucleus of players that he inherited in the early stages of their careers helped the program turn the corner. Four of those players capped their careers in the 29-win season: Reggie Keen, Tyren Rivers, Raphael Turner and Aerik Taylor. Keen finished a solid three years under Raccuia with a .354 career batting average, fourth all-time at Radford; Rivers became the school’s single-season and career stolen bases leader in Raccuia’s offensive system; Turner overcame injuries to post a team triple-crown season as a fifth-year senior; Taylor transferred in and assumed the role of ace starting pitcher in Raccuia’s second season. Alex Gregory and Eric Evans were part of the turnaround and flourished at the beginning of Raccuia’s stint at Radford: Gregory finished his career with back-to-back .400 seasons (2008-09) at the plate under Raccuia, while Evans anchored the pitching staff in 2008 with 14 starts and a 3.34 ERA. Gregory and Evans were both Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft picks.
The upward trend continued for Raccuia’s Highlanders in 2010, posting a third-place Big South finish for the first time since 2000, while becoming the first Radford team to hit better than .300 and post an ERA lower than 6.00 since 1995. The Highlanders put pressure on their opponents with a high-octane attack on the basepaths, stealing 143 bases as a team – a new single-season school record.
Radford performed through a tough schedule – the Highlanders played 11 of their 27 non-conference games against 2010 NCAA Regional teams. The schedule set the stage for a late-season surge, where the Highlanders went 16-10 from April 13 onward and 11-6 in their last 17 Big South conference games.
The 2009 season, his second, marked a turnaround for the program when Radford went 26-24 overall and 16-9 in conference play. Radford’s season record was the fifth winning campaign in school history and its 16 conference wins were the program’s second-most all-time. Raccuia’s second season with the Highlanders was marked by a fourth-place finish and No. 4 seed in the Big South conference tournament (second time in program history) and a come-from-behind tournament win against No. 22 Coastal Carolina, 11-7, when the Highlanders trailed 7-6 and were down to their final strike before scoring five ninth-inning runs.
Following the 2009 season two of Raccuia’s recruits, shortstop Jeff Kemp and Taylor, were recognized by the Big South along with Gregory. Kemp was named freshman of the year, Gregory and Taylor earned second team all-conference honors, and Gregory was again named to the all- academic team.
While his 2009 roster was marked by a host of fresh faces that included Kemp, Taylor, second baseman Brett Mollenhauer and right-handed closer Jason Patten among them, Raccuia got the most out of returning players like Gregory (third straight .400-plus -season) and third baseman Nick Minter (started 49 of 50 games, career-highs in most offensive categories).
In Raccuia’s first season with the Highlanders, the team produced 24 wins, the most since Radford won 26 in 2000. The final total was a 14-game turnaround from the 2007 season.
Raccuia’s win total in his first season at Radford came with plenty of style points. The Highlanders added four in the win column against NCAA Regional teams, including a victory over Charlotte on the road, and three over in-state rival and CAA Champion James Madison. Radford’s win at Charlotte snapped a 17-game home winning streak for the 49ers, the second-longest home string in the country at the time. Add to that three all-conference selections, (First team – Alex Gregory; second team – Eric Evans, Tyren Rivers) and two all-tournament picks (Gregory, Reggie Keen).
Along with quality wins, Radford was able to get off to its best start in school history after seven games (6-1), and concluded the season with four games in the Big South Tournament, the second most in school history. On the whole, it was finest offensive campaign for the program since 1995, Raccuia’s senior season at Radford. The Highlanders bested the .300 mark for the first time since that year, and plated 347 runs (average of six per game), the top mark since ’95.
A Buffalo, N.Y, native, Raccuia spent two seasons as the Crimson Tide’s recruiting coordinator and hitting instructor. He saw six of his position players taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft after just one year on the job. Raccuia also brought an improved offense to Tuscaloosa in 2006. The Crimson Tide hit .291 in his first season, with 50 home runs and 394 RBI, compared to a .281 composite average during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Raccuia’s stint at Alabama came after spending two seasons as the head coach at Marist College. He compiled a 58-51 (.532) record with the Red Foxes, including a 39-15 (.722) record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. He was named the 2005 MAAC Co-Coach of the Year and led the Red Foxes to a berth in the 2005 Baton Rouge Regional.
Seven Marist players earned All-MAAC honors under Raccuia’s tutelage, including 2005 MAAC Pitcher of the year Chris Tracz, and 2005 MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year, Rob Ryan. Tracz, Ryan and Travis Musolf also earned All-Northeast Region honors, while Raccuia’s teams had a total of nine MAAC All-Academic Team selections.
Prior to Marist, Raccuia was an assistant coach at George Mason for four years, including a promotion to associate head coach in his final two years. Raccuia was responsible the Patriots for hitting and defense, and he helped recruit three freshman All-Americans. He coached four all-conference position players in his final season at Mason, including the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year. The 2003 team set the school record for the highest fielding percentage (.970) and was ranked 21st nationally in defense.
Before moving to George Mason, Raccuia spent four years as the assistant head coach at The George Washington University. He had a wide-range of duties at GW, serving as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator while also working with the position players. In three years with the Colonials, Raccuia coached or recruited 14 players who earned All-A-10 recognition and 12 players who went on to professional careers. The 1998 team set the school record for wins and recorded the fourth-best turnaround in Division I. The George Washington class of 2002 had five players Raccuia recruited taken in the MLB Draft. Over his final two seasons, GW set school records in hits, homeruns, doubles, runs scored and runs batted in.
In both of his coaching stints, Raccuia has shown a commitment to the complete student-athlete. While at both George Mason and George Washington he served as the team's liaison with the academic coordinator. Twelve Mason players earned recognition for academic success and the 2002 squad posted the best GPA in the program history.
Raccuia’s coaching career began at his alma mater. He served as an assistant at Radford in 1996. He assisted in every aspect of the program under his former coach Lew Kent. Raccuia played two seasons for Kent at Radford, serving as the team captain during the 1995 campaign and helping that squad to a school record for wins. Prior to playing at Radford, Raccuia played two seasons at Edison Community College in Ft. Myers, Fla. He served as the team captain his second year, leading that 1993 team to a school-record single-season win total.
Raccuia, who graduated in 1995 with a degree in social science, is married to the former Jodi Carroll, also a 1995 Radford graduate. They have two sons, A.J. and Joey, Jr., and one daughter, Emma.
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