Fritz Hamburg, head coach and all-time leader in career victories for St. Joe’s baseball, has become the fourth head coach in St. Joe’s athletic history to earn 400 wins.
The milestone, earned March 15, came the same day the team finished off a clean sweep series against the University of Richmond.
Riding off the thrill of a winning weekend, Hamburg was more focused on the great efforts of the team.
“It’s an honor,” Hamburg said. “This being my 18th year at St. Joe’s, I feel very fortunate to call Hawk Hill my home for a very large part of my career. The relationships that I’ve made with coaches, administrators and, obviously, all the players, that’s the rewarding part of it.”
The beginning of Hamburg’s journey at Hawk Hill started with former senior associate athletic director Jim Brown ’76. Brown interviewed Hamburg in 2008 for the head coach position.
Brown said what makes Hamburg stand out the most is his dedication and care about student-athletes.
“Obviously, he knows the game, he knows the rules, he knows how to play the game, but he connects with the players,” Brown said. “You’ve got 35 to 40 players on the team, and somehow he finds a way to try to connect to each of them.”
For Hamburg, the 400-win milestone provides an opportunity for him to acknowledge the program’s success while continuing to propel the team forward.
“It kind of puts an exclamation point on the enjoyment of the journey,” Hamburg said.
Assistant coach Doc Neiman has spent three seasons with Hamburg and is appreciative of his leadership.
“Getting to see how he handles situations, how he communicates with the players and us as a staff, it gives us the freedom to do what we need to do,” Neiman said. “It goes to show that he cares and he allows us to be people, and we’re always communicating and learning from each other.”
Ultimately, Hamburg is happy with the milestone but feels happier to have established a great community on Hawk Hill.
“Four hundred really is just a number, but, if anything, it shares what the reward is for all those opportunities that I’ve had with the people that I’ve had it with,” Hamburg said.
