Siena Hires New Baseball Coach, Alex Jurczynski!
Siena College Vice President and Director of Athletics John D'Argenio has announced the hiring of Alex Jurczynski as the new head coach of the Siena Baseball program. A native of nearby Schenectady, New York, Jurczynski takes the reins of the Saints after spending the past six seasons on staff at Princeton University.
"We are excited to welcome Alex as our new baseball head coach," said D'Argenio. "Throughout the process, we got to know Alex as a high-character individual who is an extremely passionate and driven coach that possesses a special connection with his players, which are all inherent qualities that we value at Siena. His various coaching experiences – as both a head and assistant coach – and his familiarity with the Capital Region will serve Siena Baseball well moving forward."
The 32-year-old Jurczynski brings a decade of collegiate coaching experience with him to Loudonville, including three seasons as a head coach and six seasons at the Division I level. In addition to his time as an assistant coach at Princeton (2018-23), he also served as the head coach at nearby Hudson Valley Community College (2015-17). Jurczynski first entered the collegiate coaching ranks as an assistant at his alma mater, Division III Oswego State, in 2014.
"I am incredibly honored and humbled to have the opportunity to return to the Capital Region and lead the Siena Baseball program," said Jurczynski. "I want to thank John D'Argenio and the entire hiring committee for having the confidence in me to be the head coach of this special program. Our main objectives will be to achieve success both on the field and in the classroom, while also staying rooted in the core values of Siena College. I am excited to get to work with our student athletes, and begin the process of competing for a MAAC Championship. I look forward to engaging our incredible alumni base, and making both them and the Capital Region proud of their Saints."
Jurczynski joins the Saints after spending the past six seasons on Scott Bradley's staff at Princeton. He was promoted to top assistant and the program's recruiting coordinator last summer. Jurczynski helped develop 11 players who were either drafted or signed by Major League Baseball organizations during his time with the Tigers.
Jurczynski capped his time at Princeton – and his first season as the program's top lieutenant – with a memorable run this spring which culminated with an Ivy League Championship Game appearance. The Tigers touted a 17-win improvement – which was the largest nationally at the conclusion of their season – and included wins over Georgia and Super Regional participant Duke, marking the first time in program history that Princeton defeated both an SEC and an ACC squad in the same season.
Jurczynski, who coached third base while also serving as the hitting, catching, and infield coach amongst his on-field duties at Princeton, aided in the development of a squad which produced seven All-Ivy selections including a pair of unanimous First Team honorees this spring. The Tigers smashed a program single-season record 66 home runs, highlighted by a new Ivy League benchmark of 21 by Kyle Vinci, who also established new Princeton records of 61 RBI and 29 extra-base hits.
Jurczynski first gained valuable head coaching experience just across the Hudson River in adjacent Troy, where he piloted Hudson Valley Community College to a 71-37 (.657) overall record and 20-win campaigns in each of his three seasons at the helm. He led the Vikings to the Regional Finals and within a game of the NJCAA World Series in 2017, and a peak national ranking of No. 11 in 2016. Jurczynski was honored as the Mountain Valley Conference Coach of the Year in each of his first two seasons (2015, 2016), and cultivated an offense which ranked in the top-five nationally at the junior college level in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage in all three seasons.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Jurczynski spent two years as the assistant director of Prep Baseball Report New York (2014-16).
A 2014 graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego, Jurczynski earned All-Conference honors at catcher following his junior season with the Lakers. He began his collegiate playing career with a two-year run at Mohawk Valley Community College.
Jurczynski inherits a storied Siena Baseball program which former head coach Tony Rossi led through many different transformations to build to prominence over a decorated 54-year career. The Saints have made two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances (1999, 2014), won five MAAC Tournament Championships (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2014), and developed 56 student athletes who have gone on to sign professional baseball contracts including 38 who have inked with Major League Baseball organizations.