The 2010 UNCG baseball season will be the 20th season for coach Mike Gaski. He has been the only head coach for the university since the baseball program's inception in 1991.
During his tenure, Gaski has coached over 20 players who have been either drafted or signed to the majors including: Rob Gilliam (2007-09, Ricky Orton (2007-08), Matt Gaski (2007-08), Ryan Falcon (2003-07), Guy Welsh (2006-07), Jermaine Mitchell (2006), Chris Mason (2003-05), Taft Cable (1999-01), Brian Moehler (1991-93), Jarrett Santos (2003-04) and Jay Metzger (2001-04).
He also has had on his squads four All-Americans, five Freshman All-Americans, three Freshman All-American honorable mentions, and two Academic All-Americans.
He has guided the program to NCAA Tournament appearances and league championships in two different Division I conferences - the Big South and Southern. Gaski has also led the Spartans into the Top 30 of several national polls over his 19 seasons.
In 2006, Gaski guided the Spartans to the program's first-ever win over a No. 1-ranked team when UNCG knocked off North Carolina, the eventual national runner-up.
In 2007, Gaski was presented with his 500th win as a head coach - all of them coming with the Spartans. UNCG topped Army, 13-5, at UNCG Baseball Stadium on March 3 to present Gaski with his milestone win.
In 1998, UNCG's first season in the Southern Conference, the Spartans posted a then-record 22 league wins en route to the conference title. After posting a 40-18 overall record, the team narrowly missed its third NCAA trip in five years.
In 18 seasons of Division I play, Gaski's teams have an impressive 569-427-1 record, which includes victories over many established programs. During his tenure at UNCG, he has won three Conference Coach of the Year awards. Overall, Gaski has tallied a 578-460-1 record in his career.
In 1994, the Spartans posted 39 wins, and captured their first Big South Conference title. UNCG also made its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. In 1997, the Spartans recorded a school-record 45 wins on the way to the Big South Conference regular-season and tournament titles and a No. 28 final national ranking.
Gaski began coaching at the collegiate level in 1979 as an assistant at Cleveland State and spent one season with the Vikings.
After his tenure with Cleveland State, Gaski headed to Ohio State in 1980. There, he coached the pitchers and catchers. Gaski helped the Buckeyes to back-to-back record-setting seasons and their first NCAA appearance in more than 15 years.
From Ohio State, Gaski went to Florida Southern to assume the position of assistant head coach with the Moccasins. During his four-year stint (1983-87), the team made four consecutive NCAA appearances, finished second in the nation in 1984 and claimed the Division II National Championship in 1985.
Gaski left collegiate coaching in 1988 to assume the position of Executive Director of the Spanish Olympic Program in preparation for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. As the principal administrator for Olympic baseball preparation, Gaski's responsibilities included the development of a national baseball program and the preparation of the Olympic venues for the Games.
Upon his return to the United States and UNCG, Gaski was immediately enlisted by USA Baseball to serve as a consultant on international affairs and Olympic preparation.
He was elected to his first term as President of USA Baseball on January 7, 2001 and was re-elected to the position on January 10, 2005.
In March of 2001, Gaski was elected by the International Baseball Federation to serve on the technical committee that oversees all international competition, including the World Championships and the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. In February 2006, Gaski was elected technical commissioner by the International Baseball Federation's Executive Committee in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
Previously, he was vice president for the organization's Board of Directors and represented the U.S. in a variety of international congresses. In 1991, he became the team leader of the U.S. squad in the Pan American Games in Cuba and joined the 1992 USA Olympic Baseball coaching staff in a similar role.
In 1993, Gaski was elected treasurer of the Pan American Baseball Confederation that governs international baseball throughout the Americas.
Gaski returned to the Olympics in 1996, serving this time on the USOC International Games Prep Committee for the Atlanta Games. In 1998, Gaski joined Team USA as an assistant coach as the National Team prepared for the IBA World Championships.
Though Gaski's administrative skills place him in high demand throughout the United States and abroad, he continues to serve on the Board of Directors and Advisory Board of numerous statewide and local organizations including the North Carolina Amateur Sports Association. He conducts UNCG's popular baseball camp and appears as a lecturer and clinician throughout the nation. Gaski just completed his term as a member of the NCAA Baseball Division I Selection Committee and served on several advisory groups. Most recently, he was asked to serve on the NCAA Baseball Academic Enhancement Working Group, a committee charged with addressing the concerns surrounding academic performance by baseball student-athletes and their correlation to the NCAA's new APR standards. He currently serves as the amateur baseball advisor on the MLB Rules Committee.
Gaski earned a bachelor's degree in English from Detroit in 1973, a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from UNCG in 1977 and a Master of Arts in English from Ohio State in 1982.
Gaski has two sons. Matt was a senior infielder for UNCG for the 2007 and 2008 seasons after spending his first two years at Florida, who was the national runner up in 2005. After the 2008 season, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres and is currently playing in the minor leagues for the Minnesota Twins. His younger son, Nick, graduated in the spring of 2009 from the University of North Carolina with a degree in history and Chinese. He spent the summer of 2008 working for Major League Baseball as an intern in their Beijing office.
