EAST STROUDSBURG - John Kochmansky, a former assistant coach for the Warriors and most recently the head assistant coach at Lehigh University, has been named the head baseball coach at East Stroudsburg University.

Kochmansky was the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at ESU for the last three seasons and helped the Warriors to their first PSAC postseason berth in 22 years in 2007. ESU finished the season with a record of 23-22, including a win over No. 1-ranked Kutztown in the PSAC tournament.

"We are pleased to introduce John Kochmansky as the head baseball coach at ESU after an extensive national search," said Dr. Tom Gioglio, Director of Athletics. "Coach Kochmansky brings a wealth of collegiate baseball experience to the position, including three years as an assistant coach at ESU. I am confident that he will continue the program's recent success and recruit and coach top-notch student-athletes."

"I am excited about this opportunity to be the head baseball coach at ESU. This program has made great strides in the last several years and I want to continue the momentum that has been created for years to come," Kochmansky said.

As the Warriors' top assistant, Kochmansky assisted with all administrative duties and coordinated all of the team's recruiting efforts in the Mid-Atlantic Region. He oversaw the offensive game plan as the hitting instructor and base running coach, and also worked with the infield and team defense.

Kochmansky brings six seasons as an assistant coach to his first collegiate head coaching job, and was the head baseball coach at Pen Argyl High School from 2000-05.

He guided the Green Knights to five consecutive District 11 playoff appearances and was named the area's coach of the year by the Easton Express-Times in 2000 and 2004. His teams played in the district semifinal in 2000, the district final in 2003 and won the Colonial League championship in 2004.

While at Pen Argyl, he coached Jacob DeBoer, who set the ESU school record with 224 hits and ranks second in school history with 152 runs scored. DeBoer was a three-time All-PSAC East selection and was a member of the first team in his final two years in 2006 and 2007.

Kochmansky's previous collegiate baseball experience includes one year as an assistant coach at Lafayette College in 1999, and two years as a volunteer assistant at Virginia Tech while he pursued his Master's degree in Health and Physical Education during the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

In 1997, he was an assistant coach for the Wilmington (N.C.) Sharks of the Coastal Plain League, a summer collegiate baseball league.

Kochmansky graduated from the University of Delaware in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education with teacher's certification. He earned his Master's degree in Health and Physical Education from Virginia Tech in 1996.

Kochmansky has teaching experience at Wind Gap Middle School, where he was the district's Health and Physical Education program coordinator for five years, and most recently at the Shawnee Academy Beacon School, where he has taught for the last two years.

He has also been an instructor at ESU, teaching classes in Movement Studies and Exercise Science from 1997-99.

Kochmansky resides in East Stroudsburg with his wife, Shala, and their 10-year old son Jake.