PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Rutgers baseball coach Fred Hill has retired after 37 seasons and 1,089 victories.
The 79-year-old Hill spent 30 years at Rutgers. He’s been on a medical leave since September and recently decided it was time to walk away. The university announced the move Thursday and promoted assistant coach Joe Litterio to replace him.
During Hill’s tenure with the Scarlet Knights, the program earned 11 NCAA regional appearances, 12 regular-season conference championships and eight conference tournament titles. Hill sent 72 players to professional baseball and developed 20 All-Americans.
Currently, Todd Frazier is playing for the Cincinnati Reds and David DeJesus for the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It has been a heck of a run,” said Hill, whose victory total ranks 32nd in college baseball. “I enjoyed every second during my time at Rutgers. Thirty years is a long time, but it came and went very quickly. I want to say thank you to everyone involved.”
Hill started his collegiate coaching career at Montclair State in 1977. He posted a 148-91-2 mark in seven seasons and led the Red Hawks to the Division III World Series in 1983. He moved to Rutgers the following season.
His 2007 team tied the school record with 42 wins and won both the Big East regular season and tournament titles. In his final season, Hill guided the Scarlet Knights to the semifinals of the 2013 Big East championships with two wins and facing elimination. The team defeated College World Series participant Louisville in three-of-four games, including a 9-1 victory in the postseason. He finished with a 941-658-7 record at Rutgers.
Litterio, a former Rutgers player, spent the past two seasons as Hill’s top assistant. He coached the team this fall when Hill was sidelined. He spent the previous 12 seasons as the head coach at Wagner.
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