John Slusarz enters his forth year as a member of the Hartford baseball team's coaching staff in 2024-25. Slusarz, who previously spent three seasons as the Hawks' pitching coach from 2012-14, rejoins the staff as an assistant coach.
In 2025, the Hawks finished 20-22 with a Conference of New England (CNE) record of 9-7 to earn the three seed in the conference tournament. Hartford would win a pair of games in the postseason before bowing out in pod play. On the mound, Slursarz’s Hawks compiled a 6.29 ERA, with a 1.58 WHIP, holding opponents to a .274 batting average. They struck out 321 batters, a 26% increase from last season, and issued 179 walks. Over 360.2 innings pitched, they secured eight saves and had one complete game. The Hawks had five student-athletes named to the 2025 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. III All-Region Teams, while eight were named to the CNE All-Conference Teams.
During his first stint at Hartford, Slusarz worked with Sean Newcomb, who went on to become the Hawks’ highest draft pick in 2016 when he was selected by the Los Angeles Angels as the 15th overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft. With Slusarz’ guidance, Newcomb became the program’s first ABCA All-American and America East Pitcher of the Year honoree in 2014 after he shattered Hartford’s single-season records in ERA (1.25), strikeouts (106) and inning pitched (93.1) that year.
Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft and played four seasons within the minor league system, Slusarz returned to the MLB in 2014 to serve as the pitching coach within the Los Angeles Angels’ minor league system. He spent three years with the organization before returning to Connecticut to become the head varsity baseball coach at Hamden Hall Day School in Hamden, Conn.
A two-year member of the Huskies in 2005 and 2006, Slusarz graduated from UConn in 2011 with a degree in communication sciences.
