Hall of Fame
To appreciate the managing of Fran Hirschy is to first look back upon what he inherited. When Hirschy joined the squad as the team’s head coach, the program was still in its relative infancy, and the Dolphins muddled through 10 losing seasons in their first 12 years, and were a collective 63 games below the .500 mark.
In 1990, Hirschy stepped up to the plate, literally, and changed it all. His inaugural team did feature some prominent talent, including fellow Hall of Fame hurler Kevin Crombie, but it was Hirschy’s organized and steadfast approach that molded that initial squad into the local, regional, and national powerhouse it would become. In his inaugural season, the Dolphins won a then-record 26 games, which included a 16-0 home record, the first and only time the team has gone unblemished at home in a single season. The team blew away the CUNYAC, then proceeded to win the College’s first ECAC Championship in baseball with a 4-2 win over NJIT.
Hirschy didn’t allow his units to rest on their laurels. A year later, the squad went a staggering 29-7, again setting the record for most victories in a season. They didn’t let a loss in the CUNYAC Final get them down long, as they proceeded to crush through the newly developed Skyline Conference, collect a second ECAC crown and earn the College’s first-ever NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament bid, winning three games in the regional round before falling to Ithaca College. A year later, CSI got even better posting a torrid 29-4 overall record, a run that included 20 straight wins and the school’s first ever undefeated conference season. The Dolphins again went to the NCAA’s, going 2-2 in regional play. To date, it stands as the Dolphins’ last NCAA appearance.
Hirschy went on to coach the squad for two more seasons, surrendering only one CUNYAC regular season loss while winning another conference title in 1993. His overall record of 111-40, boasted a winning percentage of .735, the highest all-time in NCAA Division III history.
