Coach Juhl to Work on PhD., Says Farewell to Hawks’ Baseball

NEW PALTZ, NY — After nine seasons as Head Coach for the SUNY New Paltz baseball team, Mike Juhl will step down to pursue a doctorate degree in Sociology at the University of South Carolina. Juhl is a native of Kingston, New York.

In his time with the Hawks’ baseball program, Juhl has recorded a 134-191 record (2 games are remaining on the 2006 schedule), including the program’s only two 20-win seasons. Since joining the baseball program in August of 1997, Juhl has a 43-72 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) record and has coached the Hawks to three SUNYAC Tournament appearances, most recently in 2001. Juhl, who was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 1999, led the Hawks to an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament appearance. He has produced 23 all-conference selections since 1998. During the 2004 season, Juhl became the first coach in the history of the baseball program to win 100 games. His 100th career win came in an 11-2 victory over SUNYAC rival SUNY IT on April 19th.

While serving as a Head Coach, Juhl has filled various roles in the SUNY New Paltz Athletic Department. Juhl joined the SUNY New Paltz staff in 1997 as a part-time head baseball coach, taking on full-time responsibilities in 2000. In nine years with the baseball program, Juhl has served as the department’s Equipment Manager (Winter 2000), Summer Camp Coordinator (Fall 2004), Facilities Manager (Fall 2004), and Assistant Director of Athletics (Fall 2004). Juhl has been an adjunct Sociology professor at SUNY New Paltz since the fall semester of 2004.

While pursuing his doctorate at the University of South Carolina, Juhl will be working with the football team’s Academic Enrichment Program. Head Baseball Coach, Ray Tanner, has had contact with Juhl concerning the possibility of collaborating in some capacity with the South Carolina baseball program. Juhl received both his Bachelor’s (May 2002) and Master’s (December 2004) degrees in Sociology, with honors, at SUNY New Paltz.

A former left-handed pitcher, Juhl earned All-America honors at Florida Community College in 1989 before transferring to the University of Florida where he pitched for one season before being selected in the 15th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. As a Phillies’ minor leaguer in 1992, Juhl was 10th in all of baseball with an average of 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings for Spartanburg. He parlayed his success in ’92 with a Florida State League All-Star appearance the following year. At the end of the 1993 season he underwent successful elbow ligament replacement surgery (Tommy John surgery) and after 12 months of rehabilitation came back strong, spending several days in the big league camp before earning a spot with the Phillies’ Triple-A club, Scranton/Wilkes Barre. He was with the Red Barons for 21 days before being sent to the teams Double-A club in the Eastern League. With Reading in 1995, Juhl played a prominent role as a set-up man and closer. He appeared in 50 of the team’s last 100 games and helped lead the Phillies to the Eastern League crown. Juhl returned to Reading the next year but was released after one month. He then spent some time in the Northeast League before retiring. In six seasons of professional baseball, he struck out 231 batters in 224 innings and had an ERA of 3.01.

Juhl’s managerial resume also includes a summer in the famed Cape Cod Baseball League with the Hyannis Mets in 2001. As a player/coach for two summers with the Mets, he was a two-time All-Star and pitched a no-hitter in 1989. He has also managed the Kingston Mariners and the New York Generals of the Atlantic Coast Baseball League, been a player/coach for the Newburgh Nighthawks of the Independent Northeast League, and served as the pitching coach for the Kingston American Legion and Ulster County Community College.

The SUNY New Paltz baseball team has two contests remaining of their 2006 schedule. The Hawks will travel to Old Westbury tonight for a 6:00 pm contest, before hosting Mount St. Mary in their home finale on Tuesday, May 2 at 4:00 pm.