BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University Director of Athletics, Dr. Marybeth Lamb, announced today that Greg Zackrison has been named as the Bears' new head baseball coach.

Zackrison replaces BSU Hall of Fame skipper Rick Smith who retired after the 2018 season following 25 years at the helm of the Bears' baseball program.

"I feel very fortunate to become the next head baseball coach at Bridgewater State University," said Zackrison. "BSU has a long history of great teams and I'm excited for the opportunity to continue that tradition."

A 2001 graduate of UMass Dartmouth, Zackrison served as the associate head coach at Massasoit Community College from 2003 to 2013 before moving on to Stonehill College where he was an assistant coach on the staff for four seasons from 2014 to 2017. Greg returned to Massasoit in 2018 as the associate head coach during Head Coach Tom Frizzell's farewell season.

Zackrison is also the head coach of the Plymouth Pilgrims of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), a position he has held since 2013. He was named the NECBL Coach of the Year in 2014 as he guided the Pilgrims to a Southern Division championship that year. Prior to coaching the Pilgrims, Greg was the head coach of the Oneonta Outlaws in the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) from 2009 to 2012. In just his third season, the Outlaws captured the NYCBL championship.

Zackrison was an assistant coach for the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod Baseball League for two seasons including the 2008 campaign when the Mariners captured the CCBL championship. He has also worked camps and clinics at Boston College and Vanderbilt University, and was the camp director for the Oneonta Outlaw Baseball Camp (2010-2012) and the Massasoit Summer Baseball Camp (2003-2006).

While at Massasoit, Zackrison helped Coach Frizzell guide the Warriors to a 299-176-3 (.629) overall record, including four New England Regional XXI Championships, a 2010 Massachusetts State NJCAA Championship and a 2013 MCCAC Championship. He coached 12 All-America selections, including four First Team selections, and 57 All-Region student-athletes.

"We are extremely excited to bring in Coach Greg Zackrison to lead the team into the next era of Bears Baseball," said Lamb. "His experience both in recruiting talent and developing fine young men is well known throughout college baseball in New England." 

"The foundation of the team was built on the expertise of Coach Rick Smith and I'm confident that Coach Zackrison will lead the team back to the excellence of the 90's when Bridgewater State competed in the College World Series," Lamb added. "His experience on all levels of the game, including junior college, NCAA and summer development leagues is a key factor in his selection as our next head coach."

A native of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Zackrison earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice from UMD in 2001, and his Masters of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Bridgewater State in 2003. He is an active member of the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Greg pitched collegiately for two seasons at Massasoit (1997, 1998) and two at UMass Dartmouth (1999, 2000). He helped the Corsairs capture their only Little East Conference Tournament championship in 2000 and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

An adjunct professor at Massasoit in the Social Science department, Greg presently resides in Raynham with his wife, Amy, and daughter, Lyla.

Release courtesy of Bridgewater State Sports Information