Napolitano comes to Winthrop after three seasons as an assistant coach for the Babson College baseball program in 2023-24. He helped the Beavers to a 48-33 overall record in his first two seasons, coaching eight players who earned All-Conference honors, six who received All-Region accolades and one All-American.
Prior to his time at Babson, Napolitano served as a graduate assistant baseball coach at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa for two seasons. He served as the hitting and catchers coach in addition to working as the program's recruiting coordinator.
Napolitano recruited more than 30 players to Misericordia in his two seasons as an assistant and coached five all-conference selections and a pair of all-region honorees in 2021 as the Cougars won their 10th consecutive MAC Freedom Conference championship. Misericordia finished the year at 31-10 overall after going 2-2 at the NCAA Tournament St. Paul (Minn.) Regional.
"Mike is a great fit for our program for several reasons," McGuire said. "He is considered one of the top hitting coaches and recruiters in the Northeast. That's a part of the country that our program has got to recruit. His contacts up there will be invaluable for us. Offensively he and I share a lot of similarities and thoughts on swing mechanics and offensive philosophy and approach. Our hitters will benefit greatly from his tutelage."
Napolitano, who graduated from Springfield College with a B.S. in movement and sport science in 2019, worked as a volunteer assistant for the Pride throughout the 2018-19 campaign. He focused on player development and assisted with hitters and infielders instruction as the team finished at 20-17 overall.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Napolitano served as the catching coordinator and head coach for L & M Baseball based in North Smithfield, R.I., from 2017-19. He also has experience as a private instructor and prep scout.
Napolitano earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Misericordia in sport management back in 2021.
