T. Scott Muscat enters his 12th season as the Spartans Head Baseball Coach. In 2000 he took over a struggling NAIA program and helped to reclassify it as an NCAA DII member. Under his leadership the Spartans have qualified for their conference tournament in six of their first eight NCAA seasons while compiling a 104-89 conference record. Over the past three seasons STAC has been a model of consistency, being the only ECC team to average both 25 wins and finish the regular season in the top three. Under his tutelage six Spartans have gone on to play professionally. With excellence demanded not only on the field but in the classroom, his players have averaged a 3.0 GPA over the past three seasons.
Before assuming his coaching duties Muscat had a stellar playing career. As a prep star in Greensboro, North Carolina he amassed over 300 strikeouts, a 25-3 win/loss slate, 9-0 post-season mark, and two post-season no-hitters while leading Western Guilford H.S. to a 44-8 record (12-0 post-season) and two consecutive North Carolina State Championships. As a team captain at UNC Charlotte he set the single game strikeout record of 16 Ks and hit .298 with 298 at-bats as an outfielder. Selected in the 18th round of the 1989 draft, he pitched two seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system until a second shoulder surgery ended his career.
Outside of STAC Muscat has remained active. Over the past 13 years he has served as a recruiter and instructor for the Nyack Indians of the New Jersey Amateur Baseball League (wood bat). Nyack is the five-time Rockland County Champion, 2004 N.J. State Champion, and the ‘05, ‘06, ‘07 & ‘08 NJABL Champion. Over the winter he runs the Spartan Winter Baseball Academy, conducting indoor clinics at STAC's gym. For the past three years he has served as a pre-season instructor for Diesel Baseball, an elite travel team based out Rockland County, NY.
Born in West Covina, California and raised in Greensboro, N.C., Muscat received his B.A. in Economics from UNC Charlotte ('90) and his Masters in Secondary Education from St. Thomas Aquinas ('02). He also works as a history teacher. He and his wife, former Kelly Adamson and sons Tyler (7), Cameron (5), and Mason (3) reside in West Haverstraw, N.Y.
Chronology during Muscat’s tenure:
2002Baseball team plays first season in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA DII) finishes in 5th place. Brian Flynn drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.
2003 (24-14 record), 2nd place NYCAC tournament, and ranked nationally in runs scored (8.4 runs per game), batting average (.331), and receives a # 1 seeding in the ECAC Tournament. Mike Clohessy has 75 RBIs (2nd nationally), signs with the Southeastern League.
2004(19 wins), finished as the #4 team in the conference.
2006 (23-22 record), peaks at a #5 East Region ranking before finishing at #9 with a 23-18 region record. Javier Diaz sets single season hit mark (76). Mike Sharpe drafted by NY Mets.
2007team leads league in stolen bases and triples and ranks 2nd in homeruns. John Muller sets all-time hits record (224) and is acquired by the Chicago Cubs.
2008 (28-24 record), ECC Regular Season Champions. Final NCBWA Poll ranks STAC 9th in the East Region. Offensively, team finishes 1st in steals & homerunsand 2nd in runs, doubles & walks. Pitching staff finishes 2nd in ERA (3.79) & saves (11). In addition a record seven Spartans were selected to the ECC All-Conference Team. John Mazzello collects 73 hits in Spartans’ first season using wood bats. Mike Pasch signs with the Continental League. Fall term GPA of 3.1.
2009 (25-23 record), 15-9 in the conference (13-1 finish), finishes 3rd in the regular season, and 3rd in the tournament. The pitching staff had a 2.98 ERA and 10 saves, both marks good for 2nd in the ECC. Offense ranks 2nd in stolen bases (101), walks (174) & hits (406). The final NCBWA Poll ranks STAC 11th in the 35 team East region. Team GPA is a 3.0
2010 (23 wins), finishes 3rd in the regular season. The pitching staff has a 3.00 ERA (7th in the East region and 2nd in the Conference), 2nd in the nation in hits/9 innings. Offense steals 137 bases (STAC record), 1st in the region and 8th in the nation, 2nd in the conference in hits (405). Mike Aviles is drafted by the Seattle Mariners. Matt Matcovich is selected as the ECC Male Scholar-Athlete Award along with being named the Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Team GPA is 3.1.
Coach Stefania begins his 6th year as the Spartans Assistant Coach. He spent two summers as Head Coach for the New York Knights Connie Mack team and a year as the assistant coach at Tappan Zee High School before joining the STAC staff. Prior to coaching he was Rockland County standout as a catcher for Tappan Zee High School. After which, he went on to earn a starting catching spot at PACE University. He works mainly with the catchers, first basemen and hitters. He also works as a high school social studies teacher in Rockland county and resides with his wife Regina in Blauvelt, NY.
Garvey joins the Spartan Baseball coaching staff this season after a four-year playing career at STAC. As a player at St. Edmunds Prep he set the all-time fielding percentage record while serving as captain on the winningest team in school history. At St. Thomas he was converted to catcher and hit .462 in limited at-bats in 2008. Voted captain in 2009, he helped the team to a regular season and conference tournament finish of 3rd. During his senior year he served as player-coach, tutoring the younger catchers. He graduated STAC in 2009 with a 3.3 GPA in Sports Managment (Honor Society). Immediately after graduating he was hired as an assistant and began his master's work in secondary education. Recently coach Garvey was appointed Director of Recruiting for baseball and also serves in the athletic department in various roles. His primary roles as a coach are working with the catchers and serving as the first base coach.
Joe Curreri enters his 3rd season as the Spartan Pitching
Coach. He has wasted no time making an impact as the Spartan
pitchers have maintained a 3.10 ERA and finished 3rd and 2nd
respectively in 2009 & 2010. This past season junior pitcher
Mike Aviles was drafted by the Seattle Mariners.An Albertus Magnus
graduate, Curreri was instrumental in helping his high school team
reach a #3 ranking in the state. Upon graduation he pitched
collegiately for Long Island University where he was in the
top ten in strike outs per nine innings in 1999. That year he
was selected by Chicago White Sox in 23rd Round of the MLB Draft
and went on to play six years with the White Sox Organization. He
led the Carolina League in appearances in 2001. As a
professional pitcher, he maintained a 1:1 innings to strikeouts
ratio. Reconstructive shoulder surgery ended his
playing career.
His coaching career began in 2005 as the pitching coach for the
Rockland Brewers. That team made it to the NABF World
Series. He is currently serving as the winter pitching
instructor of the Diesel Baseball Club of Rockland County and the
fall pitching instructor for the Teel Ravens of Bergen County,
NJ. He also conducts private pitching lessons at the
KZone in Nanuet and Garrett Teels at NVSA in Closter, NJ
He resides in Nanuet, NY and is currently finishing his B.S. in
Social Sciences at St. Thomas Aquinas College.
Coach Del Rosario begins his 6th season with STAC via Bergen Community College, where he served as the head coach from 2000-2002. In the 1980s he played in the San Diego Padres' and Texas Rangers' minor league organizations as a middle infielder. He also managed in the Spanish League Federation where he coached Manny Ramirez for one season. He is known for his great rapport with the players and his ability to teach some of the finer subtleties of playing infield. Manny, his wife, and two children reside in Washington Heights, NY.
