University of Bridgeport Director of Athletics Jay Moran announced on May 31, 2012 that Joe Tonelli has been selected as the Purple Knights new head baseball coach.  Tonelli, who has been on the UB baseball staff since the Fall of 2009 and also serves as the University’s Director of the Wheeler Recreation Center, takes over from John Anquillare who led program for the past nine seasons.

Said Moran, “I can think of no better person to keep our baseball program moving in the right direction then Joe Tonelli.  He has been an integral part of a team that reached the conference tournament finals in the past two years and set a school record for wins in 2011.  His baseball knowledge is impeccable having served as a head coach at the NCAA Division III level, plus he has a great deal of experience with Division I and Division II programs.  I look for more good things from our baseball program in the coming years, and I see coach Tonelli as the leader to take us to another level.”

Before coming to Bridgeport in 2009, Joe served as Assistant Baseball Coach at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut from 2005-2009.  During his time with the Bobcats, QC made one NCAA Division Regional appearance and two Northeast Conference Playoff appearances plus six players signed professional contracts.

Tonelli helped start the baseball program at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut serving as the Falcons’ head coach from 1990-2003.  During his time at Albertus, the team won two conference titles, and he was named conference Coach of the Year twice.  The Falcons also made two ECAC Division II Tournament appearances along with playing in the NCAA Championship (2001 and 2002), plus the program produced 44 All-Conference players including six Players of the Year and three Pitchers of the Year.  Joe is a member of the Albertus Magnus Athletic Hall of Fame.

Joe also has a variety athletic administrative experience have served as Sports Information Director, Assistant Athletic Director and Athletic Director during his time at Albertus Magnus, plus Tonelli also has been Director of Athletics at Lauralton Hall High School in Milford, Connecticut.  His father, Joe Tonelli Sr., is the former Director of Athletics at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Connecticut who currently works for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference plus was legendary baseball coach Frank “Porky” Vieira’s assistant at the University of New Haven for 13 seasons.

Tonelli is a 1990 graduate of Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts where he was a standout third baseman for the Greyhounds earning All-Northeast 10 Conference honors twice and First Team All-New England accolades once during his career plus serving as a two-year team captain. 

Coach Tonelli currently resides in Milford, Connecticut with his wife Linda and their children.

In 2012-13, Mike DeLellis enters his first season as assistant baseball coach for the Purple after serving as a graduate assistant in 2011-12. DeLellis will be in charge of the defense and the catching position along with working with the hitters. Last season DeLellis helped guide the Purple Knights to the ECC championship game for the second year in a row.

As a player at the University of Bridgeport, Mike was a two-year starter at catcher and served as captain his senior year. In his senior year, DeLellis lead the team to the most successful season in school history going 31-16 and to the first ECC championship appearance. He was a standout defensive catcher and had the highest caught stealing percentage in the conference. Before coming to Bridgeport, DeLellis played two years at Burlington County Community College in New Jersey where he was also the catcher and again captain his sophomore year. In his sophomore year, Mike was a part of leading the Barons to their most successful season in school history reaching the Super Regional’s just falling short of the World Series.

Mike is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport where he majored in General Studies with a Business Concentration and is currently working towards his Masters in College Student Personnel. DeLellis is the intramural Director at the Wheeler Recreation Center and the head of the Middle School Program for the Northeast Baseball School. Mike resides in Bridgeport.

The 2012-13 season will mark the second year that Josh Parrow will serve as Bridgeport’s pitching coach.  Last season, Parrow helped guide the staff back to an East Coast Conference Championship game for the second straight season

Before entering the coaching ranks, Parrow was a pitcher on the Purple Knights’ staff for two seasons. In his senior campaign Parrow aided in the best baseball season in school history. Josh played high school baseball at Catholic Central High School in Troy, New York, where he was two-way player for the varsity team. He transferred to the University of Bridgeport from Herkimer County Community College, where he played for head coach Jason Rathbun and helped capture two Mountain Valley conference championships and appear in two regional championships. Parrow was a very successful student in the classroom where he received numerous honors including induction into the Pi Gamma Mu honors society, and the Officer Joseph Corr award for distinguished Criminal Justice students. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science with honors from the University of Bridgeport and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Counseling from UB.

Coach Josh is employed full time as the assistant director of recreation center on campus. In his spare time, he has helped lead Fedells Mechanics’ to two straight National Amateur Baseball Federation World Series as well as being named Coach of the Year in the West Haven Twilight League.   Josh  also enjoys working with the Northeast Baseball School of Amity to teach the youth of Southern Connecticut the fundamentals of the game of baseball.  He resides in Bridgeport.