New coach looks to rebuild Titan baseball By NATHAN LARICCIA
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elly Swiney, Westminster’s new full-time head baseball coach, sees plenty of potential with Titan baseball and has high hopes of knocking the program right out of the park. Swiney, who was named the College’s 10th head baseball coach in July, brings a wealth of experience to the Titan baseball program. He has not only been a successful NCAA Division III coach for 18 years, but he was a Division III student-athlete who earned personal accolades and competed at the national level. “We are excited to have Kelly Swiney join the Westminster staff as our head baseball coach,” Westminster Director of Athletics Jim Dafler said. “His coaching and recruiting experience and success in NCAA Division III, his familiarity with the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC), and his commitment to providing each of his student-athletes a positive college experience both on and off the field were important factors in his selection.” Swiney served as head baseball coach at Allegheny College for the past nine seasons. In eight of his nine seasons, Swiney
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guided the team to winning seasons, including a trip to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Tournament Championship game in 2013. In 2017, Swiney coached the Gators to a 23-17 season, marking the team’s fifth consecutive 20-win campaign. Swiney earned his 200th career victory at Allegheny, making him just the fourth coach in the program’s 130-year history to reach the milestone. Prior to his coaching career at Allegheny, he was also a standout outfielder for the Gators as a student. So, for some, the decision to leave his alma mater for Westminster seemed curious. “I always looked at Westminster College as a sleeping giant in baseball,” Swiney said. “I knew there was the potential for the program to be great, and I wanted to be a part of that.” “When I interviewed, I was really impressed by the campus, the people, and the plan for the future of the baseball program,” he said. “And the success of the other teams was also a factor in my decision to come here.” In addition to Allegheny, Swiney also experienced success as part of the coaching staffs of fellow PAC schools
