Looks like Radford Might have gotten it right...

quote:

Radford turns to alumnus
Ex-Highlander Joe Raccuia is expected to succeed Lew Kent as head baseball coach.

By Ray Cox
381-1672

RADFORD -- Joe Raccuia is right back where he started.

After five stops on the college baseball coaching ladder, the former Radford University baseball player and coach is expected to be named the new Highlanders coach today.

Radford has scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference to introduce the successor to Lew Kent, who resigned when his contract expired in April.

Raccuia, an assistant coach at Alabama, was identified as the successful candidate by a source outside RU who was familiar with the situation.

A receptionist in the Crimson Tide baseball office said Monday that Raccuia had "left to be the head coach at another college."

Raccuia, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., spent the past two years as Alabama's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. He was the head coach at Marist in 2004 and 2005, and also has served as an assistant coach at George Washington, George Mason and Radford.

Raccuia led Marist to a 58-51 record (39-15 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference). He was the conference's coach of the year in 2005 after his team won the regular season and tournament championships. The Red Foxes went 33-21 that year and played in the NCAA tournament.

Raccuia played two seasons at Radford, graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He had previously played two years at Edison College in Fort Myers, Fla.

Raccuia coached under Kent in 1996 before becoming assistant head coach at GW.

The Highlanders had winning seasons only twice in Kent's 13 years as head coach -- 1995, his first season, and 2000. Their best finish in the Big South Conference during that time was a tie for second in 1995.