QUEENS, N.Y. (Jan. 9, 2020) – Longtime assistant coach Mike Hampton has been elevated to the position of interim head coach of the St. John’s baseball team for the 2020 season, it was announced on Thursday by Director of Athletics Mike Cragg.
“After nearly 20 years at St. John’s, I am humbled and honored to be chosen to lead the program this coming spring,” said Hampton. “I spent a long time learning from the best in Coach Blankmeyer and I am confident that the work we’ve put into this program together will continue to manifest itself in our product on the field. We have a terrific and dedicated coaching staff in place with George Brown and Danny Bethea and I speak for both of them when I say we can’t wait to get the season going.”
The program’s leadership will then be evaluated at the end of the season, at which time a thorough national search of both internal and external candidates will be conducted to name the next head coach of the Johnnies.
“We are certainly excited about the future of our historic baseball program and the season ahead under the leadership of Mike Hampton and our experienced coaching staff,” said Cragg. “This has been a week of emotional surprises. Coach Blankmeyer, for whom we will always owe a debt of gratitude for his service here, had a tremendous staff in place and we are fortunate to have Mike, along with assistant coaches George Brown and Danny Bethea, ready to lead and carry the program forward in 2020.
“Given the short turnaround until our student-athletes return and the strong culture developed within our baseball program, it is paramount that the transition is smooth and remains steady, thus the need for a strong immediate leadership team headed by Coach Hampton. It is also out of great respect for the 70-plus years of national success in baseball at St. John’s that we assess our coaching situation at the conclusion of the season and make sure that we have the leadership required to keep our program at the top of the BIG EAST with aspirations of the College World Series. We could not be any more excited about the year ahead with Coach Hampton and his staff leading the baseball program with those same lofty goals in place.”
Hampton is certainly no stranger to St. John’s, spending the last two decades under the tutelage of Ed Blankmeyer, who resigned his position on Monday after 24 years to become the manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York Mets organization.
With Hampton playing critical roles in recruiting and on-field instruction, St. John’s has solidified its role as the region’s premier program. Since Hampton joined Blankmeyer’s staff in 2002, the Red Storm has captured six BIG EAST regular season titles, won four BIG EAST Tournaments and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament 10 times, including a trip to the Super Regionals in 2012.
All nine of Blankmeyer’s 40-win seasons as the head coach of the Johnnies came with Hampton beside him in the dugout.
Hampton has recruited and mentored numerous student-athletes that have gone on to thrive in professional baseball, including 2011 first found draft pick and 2014 World Series Champion Joe Panik. In total, St. John’s boasts 71 MLB Draft selections or affiliated free agent signings with Hampton on staff. 13 different members of the Red Storm have also garnered All-American honors since 2002.
St. John’s has ranked among the nation’s offensive leaders on a number of occasions with Hampton’s guidance, as the 2018 Johnnies finished 20th nationally in batting average and hit 47 home runs, the program’s highest total in nearly a decade. The year prior in 2017, the 42-win Johnnies finished third nationally in batting average (.323) and 17th in scoring average (7.4 runs per game). St. John’s also ranked among the top 10 in Division I for batting average in 2006, 2007 and 2009. In 2010, led by National Freshman of the Year and eventual second round draft pick Jeremy Baltz, the Red Storm mashed a school-record 65 home runs en route to a program-best 43 victories.
Hampton arrived at St. John’s 2002 after spending two seasons as the hitting coach at West Virginia, where he also earned a masters degree. Prior to that, he spent the 1999 season as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, Clemson.
A 1994 graduate of Clemson, Hampton garnered All-American honors as a senior under Jack Leggett before being selected in the fourth round of the MLB Draft, 100th overall, by the Cincinnati Reds.
A native of Colorado Springs, Colo., Hampton resides in Seaford, N.Y., with his wife, Lisa, and his son, Jack.
