Baseball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- giuseppe.papaccio@shu.edu
An All-American shortstop for the Pirates and an MLB Draft selection of the Chicago Cubs, Giuseppe Papaccio enters his fourth season at his alma mater as associate head coach.
Since Papaccio returned to South Orange, the Pirates have had the BIG EAST batting champion twice. Aiden Robbins paced the league in 2025 with a .422 batting average, while Devin Hack topped the conference in batting (.439) during the 2023 campaign. In addition, six position players have garnered All-BIG EAST honors during Papaccio's most recent tenure on the coaching staff. Robbins and Kevin Milewski earned honors in 2025, while Hack, Pokrovsky, Max Viera and Jonathan Luders picked up awards in 2023.
The Pirates flexed their muscles during the 2025 season under Papaccio's tutelage, as their 44 home runs as a team were the most in a single season since 1999. Much of the offense came through All-BIG EAST First Teamer Aidan Robbins and Second Teamer Kevin Milewski. Robbins led the BIG EAST in batting average and posted the highest average by a Pirate since Dan Hummel in 1997. Milewski's 16 home runs also paced the club and were the most since David Kim, also in 1997. On top of that, outfielder AJ Soldra transferred into the program and was the lone Pirate to appear in all 54 games. Soldra was voted the best transfer in the BIG EAST by Baseball America, and his season culminated by being drafted in 16th round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In his first season on staff, Papaccio guided the Pirates back to the BIG EAST Tournament and he helped the Seton Hall offense improve significantly. The Pirates' 31 wins in 2023 was its highest win total since 2016 and it marked a 13-win improvement over the 2022 season. The 2023 Seton Hall squad hit .291 as a team, its highest clip since 2014, and slugged 40 home runs, its most since 1999 and just the 10th 40-home run season in program history. Additionally, the Pirates were the only team in the BIG EAST with five starters that hit over .300. The Hall's .801 OPS and .419 slugging percentage as a team were its highest totals in 22 years. Multiple Pirates improved significantly at the plate under Papaccio's tutelage. Staus Pokrovsky hit a career-best 11 home runs and Hack finished as the BIG EAST's batting champion as he topped the conference in batting average (.439) and hits (36) in league play. Papaccio and the coaching staff were awarded BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors for their efforts.
Papaccio returned to South Orange following a successful four-year tenure as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at NJIT. He most notably helped guide the Highlanders to the 2021 America East championship and a victory at the NCAA Regional that season in Fayetteville, Ark.
This will be Papaccio's second coaching stint at his alma mater after serving as a volunteer assistant coach from 2017-18.
During the 2022 season, the NJIT offense turned in one of the best years at the plate in school history. Under Papaccio's guidance, the NJIT offense set school records in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, RBI, extra base hits, total bases, stolen bases, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.Â
A native of Essex County, hailing from Nutley, Papaccio coached the Highlanders to the first NCAA postseason victory in school history in any sport with a 3-2 win over Northeastern in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Papaccio also helped the NJIT offense reach new heights in 2021 as the program broke many records and had several players earn individual accolades. In America East play, the Highlanders led the conference in hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, and stolen base percentage and finished second in runs, RBIs, walks, and hit by pitches.
The program was rewarded for its successful season with plenty of individual accolades with Jake Rappaport (First Team) and Julio Marcano (Second Team) earning NJIT's first-ever ABCA Division I All-Region honors. Rappaport and Marcano were joined by Albert Choi as First Team All-America East recipients, while David Marcano and Ryan Fischer were named Second Team All-America East. Choi was tabbed as the league's Rookie of the Year and was joined on the All-Rookie Team by Fischer.
Papaccio helped set the tone for the 2021 season when he helped put together arguably NJIT's highest-ranked class in history as the Highlanders 2020 recruiting class will welcomed three players who ranked in the top 10 in their state (all in different states), four players in the top 30 in their state, and five top 50 players in their state (Prep Baseball Report).
Papaccio joined the Highlanders after serving two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach with the Pirates and one season under fellow Seton Hall alum Jim Duffy at Manhattan College. His other coaching stints includes stops as an assistant coach for the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League (2018) and as head coach of the Ocean Giants (2017) and Monmouth Monarchs (2016) both of the Atlantic Baseball Collegiate League.
A 2013 Seton Hall graduate, Papaccio enjoyed three years of professional baseball in the Chicago Cubs organization, reaching as high as Double-A.
As a senior at The Hall in 2013, Papaccio had one of the finest offensive seasons in Seton Hall history. Unanimously named a First Team All-BIG EAST selection and New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association's (NJCBA) Player of the Year, he finished ranked third in the BIG EAST with a .365 batting average and led the conference in doubles. Further showing his prowess for the two-base hit, Papaccio set Seton Hall's career record with 56 doubles and tied the single-season Pirate record with 24. Batting primarily in the cleanup position in the Seton Hall lineup, Papaccio led the Pirates in seven offensive categories, including batting average, slugging percentage and RBIs.Â
With 237 career hits, only three players in Pirates' history have garnered more. Only two Pirates have played in more games and only former teammate A.J. Rusbarsky had more at bats. Named to the Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-American Third Team by Collegiate Baseball, he was drafted in the 18th round by Chicago on June 8, 2013.
