Joe Urso Honored as National Coach of the Year for Seventh Time
GREENSBORO, N.C. - University of Tampa head baseball coach Joe Urso has been recognized as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year, as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and ATEC.
The 2025 National Coaches of the Year in all collegiate and high school divisions. The 2025 ABCA/ATEC National Coaches of the Year will be honored on Friday, January 9, 2026, at the ABCA Convention in Columbus, Ohio, on the main clinic stage prior to the start of clinics.
The ABCA/ATEC National and Regional Coaches of the Year are selected by members of the ABCA All-America & Coach of the Year Committees in all nine divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division and high school.
The Spartans defeated Central Missouri 11–5 in the title game in Cary, N.C., claiming their 10th NCAA Division II baseball crown, and second straight national title. Tampa becamne the first program in NCAA II history to repeat on three occasions, also doing so in 1992 and 1993, and 2006 and 2007. UT also jumped to the top of the NCAA II record books as the first program to win 10 national championships.
Urso led Tampa to a program-best 55 wins, setting a new single-season record. The Sunshine State Conference champions, the Spartans led their conference and earned the top seed in the NCAA South Region. An early loss in the regional forced the Spartans to come out of the winners bracket. Tampa would begin its postseason heroics against Mississippi College on May 19, falling behind but rallying with five runs in the final three innings, including a walk-off sac fly in the 10th inning. The Spartans would fight through the losers' bracket at the NCAA Championships in Cary, as they forced a decisive Game 3 and ultimately outplayed Central Missouri to hoist the trophy.
2025 ABCA/ATEC National Coaches of the Year
NCAA Div. I: Jay Johnson, LSU
NCAA Div. II: Joe Urso, Tampa (Fla.)
NCAA Div. III: John Vodenlich, Wisconsin-Whitewater
NAIA: Brad Neffendorf, LSU Shreveport
NJCAA Div. I: David Nelson, Salt Lake (Utah)
NJCAA Div. II: Lyndon Coleman, Pasco-Hernando State (Fla.)
NJCAA Div. III: Rob Valli, RCSJ Gloucester (N.J.)
Pacific Association Division: John Knott, Mt. San Antonio (Calif.)
High School Div. I: Joe Giummule, Jupiter (Fla.)
High School Div. II: Chris Roof, Governor Livingston (N.J.)
High School Div. III: Josh Raney, Blanchard (Okla.)
About the ABCA
Founded in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 15,000 members represent all 50 states and 41 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include nine divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel.
About ATEC Sports
ATEC Sports manufactures industry-leading training equipment and machines for elite baseball and softball programs. From training machines to tees, nets and screens, ATEC sets the standard when it comes to equipment today and is the Official Training Equipment of Major League Baseball. You can learn more about all these products – including the revolutionary M3X training machine – at http://atecsports.com.