A veteran of 16 years with the California University of Pennsylvania baseball program, Mike Conte has continued the tradition of the Vulcans as one of the most successful and stable teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).
Entering his 14th season as head coach, Conte has totaled a 360-252-4 record for an average of over 27 victories per season. While in the dugout, he has guided the Vulcans to six PSAC Western Division titles and nine PSAC Tournament appearances with a conference crown in 2004.
Cal U finished last season with a 32-15 overall record, marking the program’s 10th-straight year with at least 27 wins. Six Vulcans received All-PSAC West recognition.
In 2007, Conte guided the Vulcans to a school-record 36 wins, a fourth-straight divisional title, a second-place finish in the PSAC Tournament and the program’s first NCAA Regional Tournament appearance since 1983. Conte also earned PSAC West Coach of the Year laurels for the fifth time in his career.
Conte led Cal U to four-straight PSAC West championships from 2004-07 with the first PSAC Championship in recent program history in 2004. The championship team of 2004 featured two-time Academic All-American and PSAC West Player of the Year Mike Larson. Larson was an all-conference outfielder/pitcher after leading the team in average, homers, RBI and ERA.
The Vulcans won back-to-back PSAC West titles in 2001 and 2002 after posting a then-school record 16 conference wins. Outfielder Bryan Hartung was an all-conference player on the 2001 team before finishing his career as the school’s all-time leader in hits, homers, RBI and runs scored. Hartung became the first Conte-coached player inducted into the Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
During his 14 seasons as head coach, Conte has coached 46 different All-PSAC West players, five PSAC West Players of the Year and two Rookies of the Year. In addition to successful players on the diamond, he also has coached the only Academic All-American in program history and the only two players to receive the academic Top 10 Award from PSAC.
Since the start of the 2000, a total of 13 Vulcans have played professional baseball. Pitcher Ian Heisel played two seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates system before joining former Cal U teammate Patrick Sadler in the Frontier League.
Prior to taking the head-coaching position in 1997, Conte served as an assistant coach for long-time Vulcan mentor Chuck Gismondi, who holds the school record for wins and games coached.
A native of nearby Brownsville, Conte was a two-time all-conference outfielder at Virginia Tech. As a junior, he led the team with a .352 average and received an offer to play with the Baltimore Orioles, which he declined. Conte returned to school for his senior season and led the team in triples, homers, RBI, stolen bases and at-bats. He finished his career and still ranks fifth in Virginia Tech history with 43 career homers.
Following the 1989 college season, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 19th round and played five seasons in the A’s minor-league system before retiring after the 1992 season.
Conte completed his undergraduate degree in 1990. Following his playing career, he started his coaching career in 1994 at Cal U as an assistant and completed his master’s degree in Geography and Regional Planning.
Conte resides in California with his wife Jamie and their four children, Louden, Payton, Jessie and Nina.
| Year |
Overall
Record |
Win Pct. |
PSAC West
Record |
Win Pct. |
Post-Season |
| 1997 |
27-16 |
.628 |
14-6 |
.700 |
PSAC Tournament |
| 1998 |
17-25-1 |
.407 |
10-10 |
.500 |
|
| 1999 |
12-26-1 |
.321 |
7-13 |
.350 |
|
| 2000 |
29-20 |
.592 |
6-14 |
.300 |
|
| 2001 |
29-17 |
.630 |
16-4 |
.800 |
PSAC Tournament |
| 2002 |
28-16-1 |
.633 |
16-3-1 |
.825 |
PSAC Tournament |
| 2003 |
27-23 |
.540 |
12-8 |
.600 |
PSAC Tournament |
| 2004 |
32-21-1 |
.602 |
14-6 |
.700 |
** PSAC Champions ** |
| 2005 |
30-20 |
.600 |
12-8 |
.600 |
PSAC Tournament |
| 2006 |
33-18 |
.647 |
17-3 |
.850 |
PSAC Tournament |
| 2007 |
36-17 |
.679 |
15-5 |
.750 |
PSAC Tournament
NCAA Tournament |
| 2008 |
28-18 |
.609 |
12-8 |
.600 |
|
| 2009 |
32-15 |
.681 |
16-8 |
.667 |
PSAC Tournament |
| TOTALS |
360-252-4 |
.588 |
167-96-1 |
.634 |
|
