"If you're looking for a coach thataccomplishes a lot with not much in terms of resources, look nofurther than Foster. Foster guided the Rams to a 34-16 record inhis first season with the program back in '06. He also led the Ramsto 31 wins in '08 before taking a huge step forward [in 2009] witha 37-20 record. URI also should've made an NCAA regional [thatyear] after recording a few marquee wins. Foster isn't dealing witha full 11.7 scholarships, but still is finding ways to win. That'simpressive."
- Kendall Rogers, Yahoo!Sports/Rivals.com
"It's nothing short of incredible what coachJim Foster has managed to do there... URI does a tremendous joballocating resources and getting the most out of its talent."
- Aaron Fitt, BaseballAmerica
"URI is a very good baseball team. They are notaverage, they are very good and they are going to be very difficultin the very near future. I was very impressed withthem."
- Mike Martin,Florida State head coach/ABCA Hall ofFamer
“Jim Foster does such a great job with thatprogram. They don’t just play the game hard, they play thegame right. They are able to catch it and throw it. They used twopitchers today, that doesn’t happen in the SEC. They come inas a visitor and only use six pitchers the whole weekend and werein every single game. You have to tip your hat to them. I’mproud of our guys and the way we hung in there."
- MikeBianco, Ole Miss head coach
Jim Foster - CoachingHonors/Accomplishments
- Became Rhode Island baseball's all-time winningest coach(5/13/14)
- Victory over #22 Notre Dame (2013)
- Atlantic 10 Regular Season Co-Champions (2013)
- Victory over #29 College of Charleston (2012)
- Named the A-10’s best coach in College BaseballInsider’s preseason preview (2012, 2010)
- Posted six consecutive 30-win seasons for the first time inprogram history (2008-13)
- Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (2011)
- Victories over #19 Connecticut and #20 College of Charleston(2011)
- Head Coach of University Team at 37th Annual NEIBA All-StarGame (2011)
- Named the A-10’s Coach on the Rise in Rivals.com’spreseason preview (2010)
- Back-to-back wins over #27 Charlotte (2010)
- Set new URI record with 37 wins (2009)
- Victories over #8 Miami, #11 Oklahoma State and #25 Ohio State(2009)
- College Baseball Insider National Coach of the Year honorablemention (2009)
- New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Coachof the Year (2009)
- Head Coach of University Team at 35th Annual NEIBA All-StarGame (2009)
- Words Unlimited Men’s Sports Coach of the Year(2009)
- BoSox Club award for Top-Ranked Division I Baseball Team in NewEngland (2009)
- Named the A-10’s best coach in College BaseballInsider’s preseason preview (2009)
- Named the A-10’s Coach on the Rise in Rivals.com’spreseason preview (2009)
- Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champions (2006)
- NCAA Pitching Coach of the Year nominee (2005)
- 2005 Atlantic 10 Champions, URI’s first-ever NCAATournament berth
Jim Foster - By The Numbers
- Atlantic 10 All-Conference Selections - 28
- NEIBA All-New England Selections - 21
- Consecutive A-10 Championship Appearances - 8 (2006-13)
- Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team Selections - 10
- Wins over Nationally-Ranked Teams - 9
- MLB Draft Picks - 9
- Years at Rhode Island - 9
- Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Selections - 9
- Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Selections - 8
- All-Americans - 3
- ABCA All-Region Selections - 3
- Atlantic 10 Pitchers of the Year - 3
- Atlantic 10 Players of the Year - 2
- ECAC All-Stars - 2
- ABCA Gold Glove Award Winners - 1
- Lowe’s Senior Class Award Candidates - 1
- NCBWA District I Player of the Year - 1
- Players to Reach the Majors - 1
2011 Atlantic10 Coach of the Year Jim Foster is the winningest coach inprogram history, with a 268-230-3 (.538) record over his nine yearsin Kingston.
The Warwick, R.I. native has continued to build URI into one ofthe premier collegiate baseball programs in the Northeast. In justnine seasons as head coach, he has raised over $2 million forfacility renovations and additions, most recently constructing anindoor hitting facility along the right field side ofBill Beck Field.
Also in this time, Foster has guided the Rams to nine wins overnationally-ranked opponents while posting six-consecutive 30-winseasons (2008-13) for the first time in school history.
Additionally, he has produced nine MLB draft picks, includingthe program's highest-ever selection in Eric Smith - who wastaken 60th overall in the second round of the 2009 draft. Inthe summer of 2014, Foster saw his first player make it to themajors when left handed pitcher Nick Greenwood earned the win inhis MLB debut for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Foster has become known for challenging his club with gamesagainst the nation's best competition, traveling to take on the No.1 team in four of the past five seasons (Florida State-2012,Florida-2011, Virginia-2010). Additionally, Foster’s Ramsvisited the two teams that vied for the 2014 national title(Vanderbilt & Virginia), four of the eight teams that advancedto the 2012 College World Series (Florida, Florida State, SouthCarolina, Stony Brook) and five of the eight 2011 CWS participants(California, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, Vanderbilt).
In 2013, URI opened the season with the most difficultschedule in the nation as the Rams were the only team in thecountry to play eight consecutive road games against top-10 teams(three at #9 Florida State, three at #8 Ole Miss, two at #5Mississippi State).
The Rams also made their 11th-consecutive appearance at theAtlantic 10 tournament in 2013 - which was the longest activestreak among any conference team. Led by 2013 Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year Sean Furney, RhodeIsland finished the regular season ranked sixth in the nation inHits Allowed Per Nine Innings (7.05) and had the country'seighth-best WHIP average (1.13). Individually, freshman starterSteve Moyers finished regular season play ranked fifth among allNCAA Division I players with just 5.43 hits allowed per nine inningpitched.
Offensively, the Rams were paced by Senior CLASS Award Candidate Mike LeBel as well as Preseason All-American Jeff Roy, who was later selectedin the 2013 MLB Draft. In 2010, Foster saw Tim Boyce receive one of the league's tophonors as he was named the A-10 Pitcher of theYear. A two-time National Pitcher of the Week in 2010, Boyceturned in the nation's longest streak his senior season as hepitched 37.2 consecutive scoreless innings from April 30-May 26.During that span, he turned in three straight complete-gameshutouts while holding opponents to a .109 batting average.
After a banner year in 2009 - where Foster's club notchedvictories over No.8 Miami, No.11 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Ohio State -the Rams began to draw national attention while turning in aprogram-best 37 wins and a trip to the Atlantic 10 title game.
With just two seniors on the team, URI put together what,arguably, is best season in Rhode Island baseball history. Rhodysaw sevenplayers collect All-Conference honors, including A-10 Player ofthe Year and Ping!Baseball National Team honorablemention Dan Rhault. Four Rams earned NEIBA All-New Englandhonors while Nick Greenwood was an ABCA Northeast Regionselection and the A-10's first-ever recipient of a Rawlings Gold GloveAward.
For URI's successes in 2009, Foster was recognized byCollegeBaseballInsider.com as an honorable mention for theorganization's National Coach of theYear award. He also was named the 2009 New EnglandIntercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Division I Coachof the Year - in voting conducted among the association's 17Division I head coaches - and received the 2009 Words UnlimitedMale Coach of the Year award.
As a team, Rhode Island was recognized as the Top-Ranked Division IBaseball Team in New England by the BoSox Club, the officialbooster club of the Boston Red Sox.
In his first year at Rhode Island, Foster posted an impressive34-16 record, including a 19-6 finish in the Atlantic 10. The Ramsclaimed their fourth-consecutive regular-season title and had sevendifferent individuals named to the All-Conference team - including2006 Atlantic 10Pitcher of the Year Steve Holmes, who led the nation with a1.30 ERA.
Foster served as Rhode Island's pitching coach and also workedwith the team's catchers prior to his appointment as head coach.The Rams' earned run average ranked them in the top-35 nationallyin both 2005 and 2006 as three of Foster's pitchers went on to signprofessional contracts in the two-year span (Zack Zuercher/St.Louis Cardinals/2005, Mick Lefort/Chicago Cubs/2005 and SteveHolmes/New York Mets/2006). For his efforts, Foster was nominatedfor the 2005 NCAA Pitching Coach of the Year award.
Also in 2005, Foster helped lead Rhode Island to the Atlantic 10 Championshiptitle as well as the program's first trip to the NCAA Regionals,finishing the season with a 34-21 record (18-6 in the Atlantic10).
Foster was an All-Big East and two-time All-New Englandselection at Providence. He was drafted by the Baltimore Oriolesand spent seven years with the organization. He also played in theArizona Diamondbacks, Anaheim Angels and Chicago White Sox farmsystems. He was named Baseball Weekly's Minor League Catcher of theYear in 1997 and was named to the Topps All-Rookie Team in1993.
Foster retired after spending 10 years in the minor leagues. Hethen spent two years as an assistant coach at Brown where he servedas hitting coach and worked with the team's catchers.
Updated: 6/25/14
