New head coach has plans to grow CCAC Boyce baseball program

Bill Spina wasn’t ready to walk away from all the sweat equity he put into the Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus’ baseball program.

Spina, a Plum graduate, will take over the program as coach this year following the resignation of his friend, Austin Long. Long took a position as a pitching coach at Murray State in Kentucky.

“I took over because I’ve been there, and we’ve built the program,” Spina said. “This program was a laughingstock when we took over. It was hard for us to get teams on the schedule because they were so skeptical.”

In the last season CCAC completed, which was in 2018 because of the pandemic canceling the past two seasons, it finished 21-12 and reached the Region XX championship game. For the 2022 season, CCAC is hoping to play an ambitious 31-game schedule with a roster of 23 players.

The program received a boost this offseason when film crews from the upcoming “League of Their Own” series paid to help upgrade the field on campus. Spina, who developed connections with the Carlos Beltran Academy, also worked on bringing in players from Florida and Puerto Rico to help aid the group of Western Pennsylvania players.

Local players who have committed to filling out the roster this season include outfielder Tanner Schmitt (North Hills), pitcher Mark Stover (Thomas Jefferson), outfielder James Rose (Plum) and pitcher Kyle Ford (Shaler).

Spina, who played at the junior college level in Hagerstown, Md., enjoys having a mix of kids from all backgrounds. He feels like he can relate to their situations.

“A lot of these guys who go JUCO have bad grades or have behavioral issues,” Spina said. “One of my big regrets is I never took my grades seriously. That’s why I relate to these guys. I was in their situation. I feel like these guys respond well to me. I tell them how important schooling is.”

In the two-and-a-half years since Spina and Long took over at CCAC Boyce, they have helped 41 players move on to play college at the NAIA and NCAA levels. Two players reached the Division I level.

Spina, who has taken on a lot of administrative duties since taking over as coach, is hoping to move the program from the Division III level of the National Junior College Athletic Association to Division II over the next few years.

Spina is excited for the direction the program is headed on the field and the potential it has down the road.

“The approach we take is there is unfinished business,” Spina said. “The last time this team played, we went to the regional championship, and it came down to the last pitch.”