Steve Adkins enters his third season as Siena's pitching coach. The Elmhurst, Illinois native joined the program after spending the previous season in the same role at Division II Southwest Baptist University located in Bolivar, Missouri.
"We are real excited to have Coach Adkins as a member of our staff," said head coach Tony Rossi upon Adkins' appointment. "He was an outstanding pitcher at Bradley University, and coming from Southwest Baptist University, the Chicago-area native will being renewed energy to our pitching staff. We are very fortunate to have him as a member of the Siena community."
Adkins has helped guide the Saints to a pair of 20-win campaigns in his first two seasons with the program. This past spring, Siena led the MAAC with a 3.34 staff ERA in conference-only games under Adkins' tutelage. He oversaw the development of First Team All-MAAC Pitcher Tommy Miller and MAAC All-Tournament Team selection Tom Sutera, who signed an undrafted minor league free agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in July. After going nearly five full years without receiving a MAAC Pitcher of the Week award, Siena hurlers captured the honor four times this spring, including three times in a four-week span. Three different hurlers earned MAAC Pitcher of the Week honors in 2018 under Adkins' guidance.
Adkins wasted no time in having an immediate impact at Southwest Baptist University in his lone season with the program in 2016. He directly contributed to the success of a pitching staff which lowered its overall team ERA by more than a half run from the previous season, while breaking the program's single-season record with 304 strikeouts. Adkins also assisted in recruiting for the Bearcats, and developed the team's strength and conditioning program. He previously served as the pitching coach for the Licking County Settlers of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League earlier in the Summer of 2015.
A 2015 graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois with his B.S. in Secondary Education, Adkins was a two-year captain for the Braves. He was named a Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection after posting a 6-2 record with a 2.87 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts) during his senior season in which he helped pitch Bradley to its first NCAA Regionals appearance since 1968 with an at-large berth and No. 2 seed in the Louisville Regional. Adkins amassed a career record of 8-6 with a 3.81 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 132.1 innings spanning 41 appearances (17 starts).
A 2015 nominee for Bradley Male Athlete of the Year, Adkins was the recipient of the 2013 Bradley Athletics Carl Grose Community Service Award and the 2013 Phil Kaiser Memorial Award for Leadership. He directly helped spearhead efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer treatment which raised $11,000 to benefit the Children's Hospital of Illinois. He was also heavily involved in the Heart of Illinois Big Brothers and Big Sisters program.
