Sept. 20, 2007
DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois University has named Tom Carcione (pronounced CAR-see-own) as its new assistant baseball coach as announced by Huskie head coach Ed Mathey. Carcione, a native of River Grove, Ill., joins NIU after a 10-year professional career and seven seasons coaching in the professional and college ranks.
At NIU, Carcione will serve as the team's hitting instructor and will work closely with the squad's catchers.
"We had some great candidates for our position but what stood out about Tom was his passion and experience," said Mathey. "Tom has a deep passion for the game and his enthusiasm is an attribute that will be contagious and conveyed through our players. His experience includes playing for a high-level collegiate program, being an assistant and a head coach in the college ranks and both playing and coaching professionally. Tom is a Chicago-area guy and has a number of great contacts in the area. He is a great addition to our staff and we are pleased to have him on board as we strive to continue making improvements in our baseball program."
Most recently, Carcione served as pitching coach in the professional ranks for the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association, the team in which he played the 1993, 1994 and 1998 seasons.
Prior to coaching with the X's, Carcione spent the 2005 college season as head coach at Si Tanka University in Huron, S. D., before the school closed at the end of the 2004-05 school year. Carcione served as an assistant coach for four seasons at the University of South Dakota from 2001-05, where he completed his undergraduate degree in recreation in the summer of 2001.
Carcione began his coaching career in 1999 as an assistant for the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks of the Northern League after a 10-year playing career. He doubled as an assistant coach at Deerfield (Ill.) High School during for two years from 1999-2000.
A graduate of Holy Cross High School in River Grove, Carcione spent two seasons playing at Connors State Junior College in Warner, Okla. After graduating from CSJC, he played in the Cape Cod League for Hyannis during the summer season. In 1988, Carcione was the starting catcher at Texas A&M and hit .280 with 11 home runs and 42 RBI while helping lead the Aggies to a 52-15 overall record, a 17-4 mark and second-place finish in the Southwest Conference, and a berth in the NCAA South Regional, where they reached the championship game.
Following his lone season at A&M, Carcione was selected in the 10th round of the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft by the Oakland Athletics. He spent five seasons in the A's farm system and reached double-A Hunstville before joining the Explorers, then of the Northern League, in 1993 for two seasons. In 1996, Carcione continued his career with a two-year stint with the Grand Forks Varmints of the Prairie League before rejoining the X's for the 1998 season.
Northern Illinois returns 16 letterwinners from its 2007 team, a squad that produced the most decorated season in history by setting school records for Division I victories (34), MAC victories (16) and finishing third at the MAC Tournament. Along the way, the Huskies claimed several "firsts", including Division I All-American and national award finalist Matt German, who was one of five finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
