Rich Cesca - Baseball Coach - Quinnipiac University Athletics

Rich Cesca

Title:
Baseball Assistant/Pitching Coach
Email:
richard.cesca@qu.edu

Rich Cesca enters his fourth season as an assistant coach and pitching coach on head coach John Delaney's staff, entering the 2026 season. Cesca joins the Bobcats after spending time as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater of St. Thomas Aquinas College.

In 2025, the Bobcats played their way to a 17-13 conference record and ranked towards the top of the MAAC in pitching. Quinnipiac ranked fifth in the conference in both strikeouts (377) and opposing batters’ average (.292).

In his time overseeing the Bobcats’ pitching staff, Cesca has seen Kevin Seitter be named to the All-MAAC First Team and Matt Alduino be named to the All-Rookie Team in 2023, his first season on the coaching staff. In 2023, the Bobcats earned their first 30-win season in five seasons. Quinnipiac ranked first in shutouts (5), third in the conference in ERA (5.97), and third in strikeouts (415).

In 2021, St. Thomas Aquinas held a 26-7 record while also being ranked as high as #13 in the country, receiving the #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament (East Region). The Spartans had seven All-Conference players, including the ECC Pitcher of the Year.

Cesca took over as manager of the Winnipesaukee Muskrats of the NECBL in the Summer of 2021. That season, the Muskrats reached the playoffs for the first time since 2015, and three players from the 2021 roster went on to be drafted in 2022.

In the fall of 2019, Cesca was named the recruiting coordinator at St. Thomas Aquinas, where they posted back-to-back nationally ranked recruiting classes at the Division II level.

In the summer of 2019, Cesca became the Pitching Coach of the Vermont Mountaineers of the NECBL. The Mountaineers went on to lead the league in team ERA and fewest hits given up. Six players went on to sign professional contracts, including pitcher Ryan Murphy. Murphy was a 5^th-round draft pick of the San Francisco Giants in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Cesca returned to STAC in the Fall of 2018 as the pitching coach. In taking on this role, he relied heavily on his many years as a catcher. From his catching perspective, he was able to give the STAC pitchers unique and valuable instruction.

Following his success at STAC, he was hired as the recruiting coordinator and hitting coach at SUNY New Paltz. The 2018 New Paltz team saw improvement in batting average, doubles, triples, and home runs. That season, New Paltz set a single-season stolen base record and went on to win a playoff game for the first time in over 10 years. His coaching responsibilities included coaching third and working with hitters.

After finishing his playing career at STAC in 2016, he immediately joined the staff and had an instant impact. The 2017 team broke the program record for wins and won the East Region Championship, eventually finishing No. 3 in the nation at the DII National Championship. His primary responsibilities included coaching first base, along with working with the catchers and first basemen.

As a transfer and two-year starter, Cesca was a solid player at both catcher and first base. As a hitter during his junior year, he hit .267 with 30 RBIs, second on the team in doubles with 14, and helped lead the 2015 team to a runner-up finish at the East Region Tournament. The following year, he added some power, blasting five home runs.