Hilbert College Athletics

Drew Fittry Head Baseball Coach Phone: 716-926-8798 Email: dfittry@hilbert.edu Alma Mater: Niagara, '14  10th season as Head Coach (12th season overall) at Hilbert 2022 and 2023 Hilbert College / Sal Buscaglia Coach of the Year

Drew Fittry, the two-time Hilbert College | Sal Buscalia Coach of the Year, enters his tenth season during the 2025-26 academic year.

Fittry has led the baseball program to five consecutive postseason appearances and is the winningest coach in program history.

During his nine seasons at the helm, the Hawks have established themselves as one of the top base running teams in the conference each year, placing in the top three in the AMCC in stolen bases in all nine seasons, while finishing #1 five times (2017, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2025).  In 2022, the Hawks finished 11th nationally in stolen bases per game (2.97) and led the AMCC in stolen bases with 107 and then again in 2023 with 82.

Fittry guided the Hawks' baseball program to it's first AMCC Final Four weekend and skippered them to the title game in the double elimination tournament in 2023.  Hilbert saw great success in 2023 setting single season records in wins (26), games played (44), at bats (1417), runs (320), hits (435), doubles (76), triples (18), home runs (25), RBI (296), total bases (622), walks (191), hit by pitch (44), sacrifice flies (19), saves (12), innings pitched (337.2), fielding percentage (.949), chances (1495), putouts (1012), and assists (407).  The Hawks led the AMCC in triples, stolen bases (82), and ranked second in extra bases, hits, and RBIs.

This past spring, Fittry led a squad that featured six All-Conference selections, as well as a pair of d3baseball.com Team of the Week members (Dustin Hendrix and Tyler Noel).
 
Over the past nine seasons, Fittry has produced 28 AMCC All-Conference selections, three Hilbert McGrath Award winners (given to a graduating student-athlete who has demonstrated exemplary achievement both academically and athletically while at Hilbert College), seven All-Region honorees in Ryan Bonafede, Thomas Evans, Brendan Walsh, Patrick Whelan (2x), John Riviere-Vejas, and Joey Haynes, and he has developed the last four Hilbert Male Athletes of the Year in Whelan (2022), Evans (2023), Riviere-Vejas (2024), Haynes (2025).
 
Prior to serving as head coach, the former Division I standout made his mark on the pitching staff during his two seasons as the Hilbert pitching coach. Fittry's staff set nine single-season program records and finished both seasons with the fewest walks allowed in the conference.

Fittry had a successful and rewarding baseball career at Niagara University. He was a four-year starter, 2-Time College Baseball Today MAAC Preseason All-Conference Candidate, 2-Time MAAC All-Academic Selection and named team captain his senior year. The former Purple Eagle ace finished his career ranked third in program history in starts (39) while accumulating 192.1 innings pitched and 107 strikeouts. Fittry also spent his summers playing in collegiate leagues throughout the country. He played for the Walla Walla Sweets of the West Coast League in 2011, the Herndon Braves of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League in 2012, and the California Glory of the Pacific West Baseball League (PWBL) in 2013. While playing for the Glory, Fittry went 3-2 with a 3.06 ERA over 50 innings pitched and was named a PWBL all-star starter.

In addition to coaching at Hilbert, Fittry has served as an instructor at Niagara University Baseball Clinics (2010-2014), Herndon Braves Summer Baseball Camps (2012), University at Buffalo Summer Baseball Camps (2012-2015), All In Sports Complex (2015), WNY Strike Zone (2017) and after the conclusion of the 2017 college season, Fittry spent the summer as the head coach of the Rochester Lake Monsters of the Interstate Collegiate Baseball League (ICBL).

Over his eight seasons coaching at the collegiate level, Fittry has coached a pair of MLB Draft Picks and seen a former Hilbert ballplayer ink a pro contract. Tanner Cooper was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 35th Round of the 2019 MLB Draft and Ben Cowles was selected by the New York Yankees in the 10th Round of the 2021 MLB Draft. Then In 2022, Hilbert College alum Aydan Rolph signed a professional contract with the Bakersfield Train Robbers of the Pecos League.

The Tonawanda native graduated from Niagara University in 2014 with a bachelor's in sport management (concentration in sport operations) and a minor in gerontology. He currently resides in Lancaster with his wife Meghan and three children Brayden, Penelope and Chase.

 

Brendan Toughey Assistant Baseball Coach Phone: 716-926-8798  Alma Mater: Baldwin Wallace '14 11th Season at Hilbert

Brendan Toughey enters his 11th season as an assistant coach for the Hawks' baseball program during the 2025-26 academic year.

Over the last eight seasons at Hilbert, Toughey has helped the Hawks to four postseason berths over the past five league seasons while establishing the Hawks as one of the top base running teams in the conference, placing in the top three in the AMCC in stolen bases in all seven seasons, while finishing #1 five times (2017, 2020, 2022, and 2023, 2025). In 2022, the Hawks finished 11th nationally in stolen bases per game (2.97) and led the AMCC in stolen bases with 107 and then again in 2023 with 82.

11 Hawks were recognized as AMCC Player or Pitcher of the Week.  Thomas Evans, Patrick Whelan, Brendan Walsh, and John Riviere-Vejas raised the bar for the program, setting new all-time career records.  They were also joined by pitcher Michael Contini, pitcher Brennen Hediger, and pitcher Zackory Panfil who all set new single season records under Toughey's guidance.

Prior to joining the Hilbert staff, Toughey played four seasons of baseball at Baldwin Wallace University from 2009-2013 and served on the Yellow Jackets coaching staff during the 2013-14 academic year.
 
As a senior in 2012-2013, Toughey was named as the CAPITAL ONE Academic All-American of the Year for Division III Baseball.  He was a first-team CAPITAL ONE Academic All-American in both 2012 and 2013, carrying a 3.92 grade point average over his academic career.  He is a 2023 Sports Hall of Fame inductee at Baldwin Wallace for his contributions as a player. 
 
On the diamond, Toughey was named as an honorable mention D3baseball.com Division III All-American, a first-team ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) All-Mideast Region pick, and as a first-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection as a senior. Toughey holds the Baldwin Wallace single-season school record for runs scored (66) in 2013 and stolen base percentage (23 for 23) in 2012. Statistically, Toughey had a .356 career batting average over his four-year stint. Toughey helped to compile an 83-66-1 record over his time at Baldwin Wallace, including a 54-26 mark as a junior and senior.
 
Toughey served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2013-14 at Baldwin Wallace, while completing his MBA Degree in accounting.  During that season, the team won the Mid Atlantic Regional and appeared in the Division III World Series for the first time in school history.   
 
The East Amherst native graduated with a bachelor of arts in accounting and finance, as well as an MBA in accounting in 2014 from Baldwin Wallace University.

Joe Reitebach Assistant Baseball Coach Phone: 716-926-8798  Alma Mater: Hilbert, '25 1st Season at Hilbert

   

 

Jacob Bruning Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach Phone: 716-926-8798  Alma Mater: Niagara, '22 3rd Season at Hilbert

Drew Fittry welcomed Jacob Bruning as an assistant baseball coach in early September 2023. The Niagara '22 alum will be tasked with overseeing all aspects of the Hawks' pitching staff.

The former Purple Eagle pitched for the State College Spikes in the MLB Draft League under the tutelage of former Baltimore Orioles manager, Dave Trembley, and former 11-year major league veteran pitcher, Jerome Williams in the late summer, 2023.

Bruning spent four years on Monteagle Ridge (2019-2022) before capping off his collegiate career at the University of South Alabama. The southpaw appeared in 41 games for Niagara, including 21 starts. He struck out 136 batters over 136.2 innings while posting a 4.94 career earned run average. As a senior, he logged a career high 47.1 innings pitched, tallying 47 strikeouts over 17 appearances.

Bruning is a graduate of Royalton-Hartland High School where he capped off his varsity career earning All-WNY First Team and Class B All-State First Team honors.  He graduated from Niagara University in May 2022 with a bachelor's degree in marketing with a minor in sport management.

  

Patrick Whelan  Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach Phone: 716-926-8798  Alma Mater: Hilbert, '24 2nd Season at Hilbert

 

Brandon Job Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach Phone: 716-926-8798  Alma Mater: Hilbert, '22 1st Season at Hilbert

  

Anthony Ballistrea Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach Phone: 716-926-8798  5th Season at Hilbert

updated August '25