TEANECK, N.J. – First-year Fairleigh Dickinson head baseball coach Rob DiToma has appointed Steve Adkins and Ethan Newton as assistant coaches on his staff.
Adkins arrives in Teaneck following a three-year stint as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Siena College, while Newton joins the Knights after spending the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant at University of Hartford.
On the addition of Adkins, DiToma said, “I know this program is very fortunate to have Steve join my coaching staff. Steve brings a wealth of experience at the Division I level as a player, recruiter and coach. He will be instrumental in getting this program where it needs to be. Our players will develop and benefit greatly from his teaching and approach to his day-to-day business.”
A 2015 graduate of Bradley University, Adkins left a lasting mark at Siena over his three seasons on the staff. Last season, the Saints pitchers ranked second in the MAAC in shutouts, complete games and walks allowed, while posting the third-best strikeout-to-walk ratio. In conference games, the team featured the best ERA among MAAC teams. On the recruiting trail, Adkins inked shortstop Marcos Campos, who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2018 and helped develop 2019 Major League Baseball draftee Brendan White, who was selected in the 26th round by the Detroit Tigers. In addition, Adkins worked closely with Philadelphia Phillies organization pitcher Tom Sutera and Siena’s all-time leader in wins and strikeouts Tommy Miller. In 2018, Miller led Division I in complete games and was named All-MAAC First Team.
As a pitcher at Bradley, Adkins served as team captain in 2014 and 2015 and earned the University’s Phil Kaiser Award for Leadership and Carl Grose Community Service Award. In 2015, Adkins was named to the Missouri Valley All-Conference Team after posting a 2.87 ERA and helping lead the team to its first NCAA Regional since 1968.
Newton has spent the last two years on the staff at Hartford where he was tasked with working with the infielders and overseeing baserunning, as well as, coordinating the team’s prospect camp.
“Having the ability to add Ethan Newton to the staff marks a great day for FDU baseball,” DiToma commented. “Ethan brings an energy that we will need on a daily basis. He brings both old school and new school philosophies that will benefit us all a great deal. I’m very excited to watch Ethan develop our players and hit the recruiting trail for us.”
Prior to Hartford, Newton spent two years at Allegany College of Maryland from 2015-2017, where he was elevated from assistant coach to Associate Head Baseball Coach. At Allegany, Newton oversaw all aspects of player development, namely hitting, infield/outfield, and baserunning. After Newton was handed the offensive development duties in 2017, Allegany saw an improvement in eight statistical categories from the previous year. Newton handled all aspects of recruiting and moving players on to four-year institutions, which included monitoring student-athletes’ academics. In addition to these duties, Newton coordinated several youth camps at ACM.
As a player, Newton started and played in all but one game during his four years of collegiate baseball. He played for two years under Hall of Fame Head Coach Steve Bazarnic at Allegany before transferring to Ohio University. At Allegany, he was a part of the NJCAA Division II World Series team that finished sixth in the country and the school won 91 games during Newton’s two years with the program. He would go on to finish first in program history in career hits and second in career stolen bases, swiping 77 bags in 82 attempts. At Ohio, as a junior, Newton earned All-MAC Second Team honors, leading the team in five offensive categories. As a senior, he was voted Defensive MVP as a centerfielder and shortstop for the Bobcats. In only two seasons, he was able to break OU’s career stolen bases record.
