Bob Shebelsky completed his 12th season as an assistant baseball coach at East Stroudsburg University during the 2016 season. He has been an assistant coach at ESU since 2005, and has worked with head coach John Kochmansky since 2001, when they began their time together at Pen Argyl High School.
He serves as the Warriors' pitching coach and also plays an important role assisting with the recruiting process, which has enabled ESU to bring high quality student-athletes into the baseball program.
At ESU, Shebelsky has helped the Warriors win the 2013 PSAC championship, and finished as PSAC runner-up in 2015. ESU has also made three NCAA Division II Tournament appearances (2011, 2013, 2016) and five PSAC Tournament trips (2010-11, 2013, 2015-16).
Shebelsky and Kochmansky teamed up for four seasons at Pen Argyl before they both joined the coaching staff at ESU. Their run included an appearance in the district finals in 2003 and the Colonial League championship in 2004.
In his first season as an assistant coach at ESU, he helped Dave Boyer earn PSAC East Rookie of the Year honors in 2005 and was part of the staff that guided the Warriors to their first PSAC tournament appearance in 22 years in 2007.
Kochmansky took over as head coach in 2008 and the Warriors have posted a 261-182-1 record over the past nine years (with Kochmansky setting the school record for wins), including four 30-win seasons (32 in 2009, 34 in 2013, 31 in 2015 and 38 in 2016).
After winning a school-record 32 games in 2009, the Warriors reached the PSAC Tournament in 2010 and 2011. They finished third in the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional in 2011 to cap the second NCAA Tournament trip in school history.
In 2013, ESU won its first PSAC championship since 1971 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons led on the mound by Brian Ernst and Ryan Lubreski. Ernst was 7th in DII in strikeouts per 9 innings (11.88, 88 in 66.2 innings) and was the PSAC Tournament MVP, holding West Chester to an unearned run in 8.0 innings on just two days rest in a 7-1 victory in the PSAC championship game. Lubreski was 8-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 74.0 innings and set a school record for single-season victories.
Two left-handers, Jeremy Gigliotti (2011) and Christian Saveri (2010), gave the Warriors consecutive PSAC East Pitchers of the Year.
Gigliotti was an All-American as a redshirt senior and was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round of the MLB Draft after leading Division II with 4.57 hits allowed per 9 innings, ranking third with a 1.04 ERA, and setting the school record with 238 career strikeouts. He was also an All-Region selection in 2009, which included a streak of 31.2 innings without allowing an earned run.
Saveri threw 69.1 innings as a starter and closer in 2010, notching 65 strikeouts and 14 walks over 13 appearances (10 starts), including two saves the day before PSAC East starts. He set the school record with 65 career appearances, ranks second with nine saves and had a sub-4.00 ERA in his career.
Andy Noga also had a standout season as a redshirt sophomore in 2011. The right-hander led Division II with 0.62 walks per 9 innings, issuing five free passes in 72.1 innings. He compiled a 2.61 ERA, 58 strikeouts and six complete games to form a potent 1-2 punch with Gigliotti to pitch the Warriors into the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments.
Sophomore Brandon Holup was named first team All-PSAC East and second team All-Region in 2014. The right-hander went 5-2 with a 2.19 ERA in 49.1 innings, including a one-hit shutout against Lock Haven.
Sophomore Tyler Eckman was the All-PSAC East first team relief pitcher and set a school record with nine saves in 2015. He threw a complete game in his second career start, a 13-4 victory over Slippery Rock in the second game of the PSAC Tournament as the Warriors reached the PSAC championship game for the second time in three years.
In 2016, redshirt senior Matt Festa was named PSAC East Co-Pitcher of the Year (ESU's third selection under Shebelsky) and set school records for single-season wins (11), strikeouts (105), starts (13), innings (88.0) and complete games (9). He was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the seventh round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Festa (2016, 7th round) and Gigliotti (2011, 19th round) are the top two MLB Draft choices in school history.
As a pitching staff, ESU has ranked in the top four in the PSAC in strikeouts per nine innings in each of the last eight years (2009-16). The Warriors led the PSAC in 2009 (8.54, 12th DII) and 2010 (8.64, 11th DII). They ranked 2nd in the PSAC and 7th in DII (8.60) in 2014, and 2nd in the PSAC and 9th in DII (9.03) in 2015.
The 2011 staff was 3rd in the PSAC and 21st in DII in ERA (3.14).
Shebelsky is a 1972 graduate of Penn State University and is a certified public accountant.
