HOBOKEN, N.J. (August 9, 2011) – On August 9th, Stevens Institute of Technology hired Kristaps Aldins, formerly the assistant coach at Harvard University as the college’s head baseball coach for the 2011-12 academic school year. Aldins is the 10th coach in program history.
“I am honored and humbled to be named the head baseball coach of Stevens Institute of Technology,” said Aldins. “Stevens is a special place with a national reputation for both academic and athletic excellence. I am grateful to Russell Rogers and the rest of the search committee for giving me the opportunity to lead the program and become a member of the Stevens community. I look forward to helping our baseball program get back to the top of the New York Region and into to the NCAA’s.”
Aldins spent the last three seasons in Cambridge, Mass., under Crimson head coach Joe Walsh. In addition to his on-the-field duties as well as his recruiting, and summer league placement responsibilities, Aldins also served as the director and owner of the Rising Star Academic Prospect Camp. This annual event served as a feeder system that helped attract top-notch student athletes to Harvard.
He also serves as the Head Coach for the Latvian National team, which recently competed in the European Championship Qualifier in Antwerp, Belgium. At the tournament, Latvia competed against Austria, Belgium, Poland and Slovakia. Aldins also organized and planned the first-ever Major League Baseball Envoy assignment to Latvia to help develop the talent, skill and awareness of baseball within the country. The Envoy assignment also played a large role in helping the national team prepare for the European Qualifier appearance. MLB Envoy has helped make significant strides for the sport in Latvia and has motivated the national team members to develop a youth system.
Before traveling overseas and stepping on Harvard’s campus, Aldins was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 2005-09. Aldins oversaw a pitching staff of 16 student-athletes and helped lead the Engineers to a school-record 25 victories in 2009 and two appearances in the NEWMAC Tournament finals. In his tenure at MIT, he developed one NEWMAC Player of the Year, one Academic All-American and numerous All-New England and all-conference performers.
Aldins inherits a program on Castle Point that strives to compete for an Empire 8 title each season. In 2011, the Ducks placed eight members on the All-Conference team. With strong teams to the likes of Ithaca College and St. John Fisher College in the conference, it will be a challenge, but Aldins looks forward to the opportunity.
“We will strive everyday to get better and reach our goal of an Empire 8 championship and a NCAA Tournament bid each season” expressed Aldins.
Director of Athletics, Russell Rogers feels the same way.
“We are thrilled to have Kristaps join us at Stevens. He brings with him a tremendous level of energy and enthusiasm along with a very well demonstrated knowledge of the game of baseball. I look forward to working with him and seeing the positive impact he will have as the leader of our baseball program.”
As a collegiate player, Aldins competed at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and was a three-time All-Academic student-athlete as well as the 2005 Liberty League Player of the Year his senior season. His accolades kept piling up in ’05, as he was named to the first-team in the ABCA/Rawlings New York State All-Region and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate All-Star team. His senior campaign did not end there, as his teammates voted him as the MVP, Hitter and Pitcher of the Year for the Brewers. He graduated from Vassar with a double major in history and Russian studies in 2005 and authored “A History of Vassar Baseball”, a paper depicting the rise of Brewers baseball from club to varsity status.
Aldins also just recently fulfilled the requirements for his Master’s Degree from Northeastern University in Sports Leadership in June.
What they are saying about Aldins:
Joe Walsh, Head Coach, Harvard University
“Coach Aldins will really be missed at Harvard. His passion for the game of baseball, the student-athlete, and the recruiting aspects of the job, will make an immediate impact on the Stevens team and community. I can assure that no coach in the country will outwork him, or care more about his players in reaching future success for the Stevens Baseball program.”
Andy Barlow, Head Coach, MIT
“Your department has a good one to work with. Kristaps played for me at Vassar and I made sure to hire him immediately after graduation because I knew he would be a great coach. His efforts while at MIT in recruiting brought our program to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 37 years. Kristaps is very dedicated, smart and enthusiastic. He will bring many attributes to Stevens and hit the ground running. He is a great match for the Stevens athletic department.”
Jon Martin, Head Coach, Vassar College
“I was very excited when Coach Aldins told me of his new position at Stevens. This is an excellent decision on behalf of the search committee, and I'm sure he will do a top-notch job as the new head coach of Stevens baseball.
“I had the opportunity to coach Kristaps at Vassar and have worked with him since he got into the coaching world post Vassar. He is a first class individual. I have no doubt that he will be a tremendous leader, mentor, and coach while at Stevens. He is a relentless recruiter, is passionate about the development of his players, and will strive for excellence every day he is on the job. I'm sure the department will enjoy working with him and the student-athletes will admire him and follow his guidance.”