ERIC ALVAREZ
HEAD BASEBALL COACH
First Season; Fifth Season at NJCU
Last Updated: August 11, 2007
After four seasons as an assistant coach for the New Jersey City University baseball team, Eric Alvarez was appointed the ninth head baseball coach in NJCU program history in August 2007.
Now in his fifth overall year with the Gothic Knights following a collegiate playing career, he has quickly proven to be one of the top young coaches and recruiters in the state.
His eye for talent helped the Gothic Knights field perhaps the strongest recruiting class in program history during the 2006-07 year, including pitcher Baldwin Vargas, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox, and shortstop Jose Fulgencio, whose 27-game hitting streak was the longest in Division III in 2007.
Alvarez originally joined Ken Heaton’s coaching staff for the 2005 season as the assistant recruiting coordinator and first base coach, and was promoted to head recruiting coordinator/assistant coach in August 2005. Since then he has worked tirelessly to bolster the Gothic Knights lineup. He also served as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2004 campaign after having his playing career cut short due to a shoulder injury.
Alvarez played a major role in the success of the 2005 team which advanced to the ECAC Semifinals for the first time in 19 years and only the fourth time in program history, after finishing as the City University of New York Athletic Conference regular season champions, the CUNYAC tournament runners-up, and tying the school record for wins (19-14) in NJCU’s only season as a member of that league. That team had more than 20 freshmen on the roster and started at least seven rookies on any given day after the Knights graduated seven seniors the previous year.
Heaton, the former head coach, said of Alvarez: “Eric brings a tireless work ethic to the program, on and off the field. He is relentless in his pursuit to bring quality athletes into our program.”
Since October 2006, Alvarez has taught as a hitting and fielding instructor at the Jack Cust Baseball Academy in Flemington, NJ, teaching alongside professional baseball player Jack Cust, Jr., of the Oakland A’s. From 2005-06, Alvarez served as a clinical staff member at the Professional Baseball Instruction school in Upper Saddle River, NJ.
As a collegiate player, Alvarez began his career at Bergen Community College, where he played two years (2000, 2001), and had the Bulldogs' second highest batting average in 2001 while making only three errors at shortstop. He transferred to Bloomfield College on an athletic scholarship for the 2002 season, before deciding to attend NJCU to pursue a degree in English. He played shortstop and second base for the Knights in 2003, before beginning his coaching career.
A May 1999 graduate of Roselle Catholic in Roselle, NJ, Alvarez played four seasons of baseball for head coach Joe Kropa. He earned Honorable Mention All-Mountain Valley Conference honors during his senior season with the Lions, after batting .367 with 17 stolen bases, and helping Roselle Catholic reach the second round of the Union County Tournament. He also represented New Jersey in the Junior Goodwill games, and played a role in his team capturing the tournament championship.
Alvarez, 25, is a native of Elizabeth, NJ and currently resides in Piscataway, NJ.