Art Pontarelli (1997)

Coach Pontarelli was a successful baseball coach for CCRI because of his love for baseball, passion for excellence, mastery of coaching, and his dedication to his student athletes.  in eight years, the teams he has coached have won over 76% of their games, compiling an incredible 222-69 record.  Under Pontarelli’s coaching, CCRI has gone to eight New England playoffs, won 4 regional titles and had 3 trips to the NJCAA Division I World Series, with the 3rd place finish in ‘88.  He was New England Coach of the Year 4 times, was Northeast District Coach of the Year 3 times, and in 1990, he was Colonial States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.  Coach Pontarelli was also honored by the R.I. Baseball Coaches Association twice and was known internally for his instructional camps in Italy, Switzerland, and Canada; he also founded the CCRI Hitting Clinics and the Rhode Island Baseball Academy.  Coach Pontarelli was inducted into Rhode Island College’s Athletic Hall of Fame and was honored by the college after naming their baseball field after his name.  He transitioned to pro scouting in 1992 joining the Colorado Rockies and also served as a scout for the New York Mets.