Mike Rocco is entering his seventh season at Assumption. He comes into this season with a 124-215-2 overall record and a 103-144-2 record at Assumption.
During the 2019 season, Rocco guided the Hounds to a 26-20 overall record in 2019 with his team going 4-4 while away for the birth of his son, Sammy, along with a 14-12 record within the Northeast-10. He also coached the Hounds to a 6-0 start, their best start to a season in over a decade. His team qualified for the NCAA Playoff Tournament as the No. 7 seed, the first time the program had made the tournament in 10 years. Two of his players received NE-10 Third-Team All-Conference Honors, while one earned All-Rookie Team Honors. His team defeated nationally ranked Southern N.H. on April 28 and his team posted at least one win against each NE-10 Northeast Division foe.
Rocco guided the Hounds to a 17-28-2 record to go with a mark of 11-16-2 in NE10 Conference play during 2018. Rocco coached two players to postseason honors, as Andrew Jaehnig and Quinn Moynihan were awarded with All-NE10 recognition. Jaehnig was named First Team All-Conference, while Moynihan was named Third Team All-Conference. Jaehnig was also named NCBWA and D2CCA First Team All-Region and became the 12th player in program history to collect 200 hits in his career. The team also earned wins over Franklin Pierce and No. 7 New Have over the course of the year.
The 2017 season was Rocco's fourth season in charge of the Greyhounds, where he kept them in the fight for a postseason berth right up until the final few weeks of the season. The Hounds finished with a 17-25 overall record to go with a mark of 10-17 in NE10 Conference play. Rocco coached a pair of Hounds to postseason honors, led by Andrew Jaehnig who recieved a plethora of accolades after claiming the East Region batting title. Jaehnig was named First Team All-NE10, while Jared Brescia earned NE10 All-Rookie Team recognition. The duo were also bestowed with Worcester Area All-Star honors, as Jaehnig was named First Team and Player of the Year, while Brescia was named to the Second Team. On top of that, Jaehnig earned First Team All-East Region honors by the NCBWA, D2CCA and ABCA/Rawlings. Jaehnig also became the 11th player in program history to be named All-American when the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) bestowed upon him the honors.
In 2016, Rocco led the greyhounds to their first postseason berth since 2009. The Hound finished with a 19-25 record and were 14-15 in Northeast-10 Conference play. Three members of the Assumption baseball team received NE-10 All-Conference honors for their play in 2016: Andrew Jaehnig (Second Team), Mike Coggeshall (Third Team) and Hunter Tralli (All-Rookie Team). Three Hounds were also named as Worcester Area All-Stars (Coggeshall, Jaehnig, Curtis). Not only did Rocco coach several regular-season award winners, but Assumption also boasted six Hounds in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) during the summer of 2016. These include Coggeshall, Tom Horstkotte and Kyle Chudoba (Worcester Bravehearts), Jake Byrne (Wachusett Dirt Dogs), Clay Yianacopolus (North Shore Navigators) and Tralli (Torrington Titans).
During the 2014 season, Rocco’s first season as head coach of the Greyhounds, the team went 19-20 with a 13-16 conference record, a 10-11 divisional record and was in the hunt for the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs all the way up until the last weekend of the season. Three of his players received Northeast-10 All-Conference recognition (Mike Coggeshall, Greg O’Donnell, and Ysander Figueroa). Four of his players were named to the All-Worcester Team (Coggeshall, O’Donnell, Figueroa, and Kevin O’Connor). He also coached one of his players to become Worcester Area player of the year (Figueroa). Cody Rocha, one of the team’s captains, received the 2014 Rev. Alfred R. Berthiaume ’32 Memorial Award for going“Above and Beyond” at the Assumption College Senior Athletic Banquet.
Rocco comes to Assumption from Lesley University (Mass.), where he served as the program’s head coach for three seasons from 2011 to 2013. After taking the team from an 0-28 record in the team’s inaugural season in 2011, Rocco guided the team to eight wins a year later and was named the 2012 New England Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year.
In addition to his coaching career, Rocco was a four-year starter for Bryant University as a first baseman. He completed his career as the program leader in games played at 204 and third in career hits with 221. In addition, he also holds the NCAA Division II career and single-season records for putouts.
As a freshman in 2004, he was named as the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year as helped lead the Bulldogs to their first-ever Division II College World Series appearance.
Rocco and his fiance Lindsay reside in Westminster, Mass. with their son Sammy.