Mike Kunigonis returns to the Canisius College baseball staff for his third season. He works with the catchers, serves as the Griffs' hitting instructor and coaches third base.
The Golden Griffin offense has improved dramatically over the last two seasons as the team batting average has improved by 48 percentage points. The 2005 team set a school record in stolen bases with 85 and ranked in the top-5 at Canisius in runs, hits, doubles, RBIs and walks. The 2006 squad set school marks in runs, hits, walks and RBIs.
Prior to coming to Canisius, Kunigonis was an assistant coach under Mike McRae at Niagara, where he served primarily in the same capacity. The Purple Eagles also improved in many offensive categories and saw their batting average jump from .258 in 2002 to .304 in 2004.
A native of Worcester, Mass., Kunigonis was a first team all-conference, All-ECAC and all-region selection as a first baseman at American International in 2001. That season, he hit .413, which ranks in the top five in school history for a single-season batting average.
The four-year letterwinner received the Butova Sportsmanship Award for excellence on and off the field and was named MVP and captain his senior season.
Kunigonis earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice/sociology from American International in 2001 and his master's in sport administration from Canisius in 2006.
