Head coach Pat Mineo brings more than 30 years of softball coaching experience to the Utica College softball program. Mineo, who just completed his 16th season at the helm, collected his 200th win in 2015, and his 300th win in 2021. After the 2021 season, his overall record progressed to 307-279. He has finished above .500 in six of the last nine seasons, and has six 20-win seasons to his name. The two-time Empire 8 Coach of the Year has placed over 90 student-athletes on All-Conference Teams while guiding four to the conference’s top honors (Rookie of the Year 2006, 2013; Player of the Year 2013, 2018) during his tenure.
The 2021 season brought a return to the Empire 8 Conference Tournament. Utica went 14-15 overall, and 8-12 in the Empire 8.
In 2019, Mineo guided Utica to an 18-20 overall record and 6-8 in the Empire 8 Conference. This past season brought 7 players to Empire 8 All-Conference Honors.
In 2018, Mineo led his squad to a 20-18 overall record, and a 10-4 record in conference play en route to a second place finish in the Empire 8 Conference tournament. Nicole Rice was the E8 Co-Player of the Year, and went on to first team All-Region honors and Honorable Mention All-ECAC Accolades. Eight Pioneers were chosen to All-Conference teams by the Empire 8 Coaches, including four first team picks.
In 2017 the Pioneers finished with a 17-21 record. Three players earned All-Conference accolades including sophomore Nicole Rice and freshman Jamie Miller, who were named second team All-Conference, and junior Kimberly Beattie, who was named the Sportswoman of the Year.
In 2016, the Pioneers finished 22-18 overall with a 9-5 conference record. The team made the conference tournament as a third seed. Mineo guided nine players to All-Conference status, and two players to the All-Region teams. Alysa Russell earned her fourth consecutive All-Region honors and her second straight All-Region first team. Russell wrapped up her career as the College's all-time leader in slugging percentage (.682), runs scored (152), triples (nine), and stolen bases (52). She is also second all-time in batting average (.425), hits (211), and home runs (24). Abby Monroe earned her second All-Region honors making the third team. Monroe owns the career records for wins (51), strikeouts (378), and shutouts (10) and she is tied with Pioneer Hall of Famer Bobbi (McMail) Simon for the single-season wins record (19). Monroe is also second in program history with a 2.63 career ERA, just .01 away from first all-time.
In 2015, the Pioneers finished 18-16 overall, and narrowly missed out on the Empire 8 Conference Tournament with a 6-8 record in league play. Mineo guided six players to All-Conference status, and two to inclusion on the All-Region teams. Stephanie Siriano was named second team All-Region, while Alysa Russell earned her third consecutive All-Region honors. Mineo also led senior standout Courtney Fitzgerald to a remarkable four-year career that saw her break numerous school records including home runs (25), doubles (45), RBIs (136), and total bases (286) as well as the single-season record for home runs (10) and RBIs (44). Fitzgerald capped off her career by winning the Richard “Dick” Miller Award as an outstanding senior athlete.
In 2014, he led the Pioneers to their second straight conference tournament however lost in the semifinals, 9-8, to Alfred University wrapping up their 2014 campaign with a 22-12 overall mark. Mineo guided senior standout Meghan Matan to the program’s first ever National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American honor. Matan was also named to the All-Region First-Team along with Alysa Russell, Empire 8 Conference Second Team with eight other Pioneers and to the E8 All-Tournament Team with classmate Chelsea Monroe. She was named the College's Greg Roberts Senior Student-Athlete Award winner as she started all 120 games since joining the team as a sophomore. She holds the Empire 8 Conference single-season record for hits per game (1.74) and owns four school single-season records including hits per game, hits, doubles, and stolen bases. Her career batting average of .397 is third all-time at UC. Mineo’s nine Pioneers placed on All-Conference teams ranks second in school-history to last year’s 11 selections.
Coach Mineo led the 2013 Pioneers to one of their best seasons in school-history with a 34-14 (.708%) overall record including a 9-3 (.750%) mark in the Empire 8 Conference. He led the Pioneers to a regular-season conference title, the hosting rights of the E8 Tournament at Greenman Field and its first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. After losing in the first round, UC bounced back with its first ever NCAA tournament win in an 8-1 victory over Penn State Berks. Coach Mineo was named Coach of the Year for the Empire 8 Conference along with guiding two players to the conference’s top honors. Junior Chelsea Monroe earned Player of the Year while freshman Alysa Russell was named Rookie of the Year. He set school-records with 11 Pioneers named All-Conference, six players named to the NFCA All-Region Team and four selected to the ECAC Upstate Softball All-Star Team. He also pushed two of his most decorated seniors to outstanding honors as Bridgette Plummer was presented with the 26th annual Richard “Dick” Miller Award and Mallory Ingalls named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team after batting .500 in three NCAA contests with one home run.
Off the field, Mineo‘s entire squad was one of the record-setting 16 teams that earned a combined 3.0 grade point average or better in the classroom including four student-athletes named to the Empire 8 President’s List.
In 2012, Mineo led the Pioneers to a program-best 11-game win streak while posting 6-4 home record, a 9-9 mark on the road and a 7-4 record at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, FL. He went on to post an overall mark of 22-17, good enough for a winning percentage of .564, marking the best record and win percentage since his inaugural season in 2006. He guided five student-athletes to all-conference teamsa including junior stand out Meghan Matan who broke the Empire 8 record for hits per game (1.74) and the college's single-season records for hits (68), stolen bases (18), total bases (85), and at bats (147)
In 2011, Coach Mineo led the Pioneers to an overall record of 18-17 while recording five conference wins in the Empire 8.
In 2006, Mineo was named the Empire 8 Conference Coach of the Year after leading the team to a program-best record of 31-11 overall and an appearance in the Empire 8 Tournament for the first time in program history, where they made it to the championship game. The team also earned the No. 2 seed in the ECAC Tournament and made an appearance in the championship game.
Mineo has accumulated 33 years of service as a volunteer travel coach with the CNY Shockers and coached scholastically at New York Mills and Whitesboro High Schools. Mineo’s teams have competed in the ASA and PONY National Tournaments, as well as several NYS Softball Tournaments.
The veteran softball coach won the 23-under New York State Tournament and has appeared in several High School Sectional competitions. Mineo, a resident of New Hartford, NY has also spent 33 years as a New Hartford Girls Softball (NHGS) board member, and currently serves as Commissioner for the New York State ASA Junior Olympic committee.
Coach Mineo currently resides in New Hartford, NY with his wife Linda.
