Chris Gresham enters his second season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Hawks baseball program during the 2020-21 academic year.
In the 2020 shortened season, Gresham helped lead the Hawks to their first winning season in program history after finishing 6-5 during their spring break trip in Myrtle Beach. The Hawks saw great success offensively, finishing in the top 60 nationally in triples (9th), triples per game (15th), slugging percentage (26th), batting average (40th), on base percentage (43rd), stolen bases per game (48th) and stolen bases (56th) while averaging 8.0 runs per contest. In addition to their success on the field, the baseball program experienced great success in the classroom as well, posting a 3.16 cumulative team GPA for the 2019-20 academic calendar year. Their efforts in the classroom earned them the 2019-20 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Excellence Award.
Gresham came to Hilbert with over two decades of combined playing and coaching experience. He most recently served as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) in Canandaigua, N.Y. for the past 3 years. As recruiting coordinator, Gresham helped piece together a competitive roster that culminated in a trip to the NJCAA Region III Championship Game in May 2019.
Prior to his time at FLCC, he served as a volunteer assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for DII Clarion University during the 2015-16 school year and was the varsity assistant coach for St. Mary’s of Lancaster High School from 2013-16. During his St. Mary’s and Clarion University tenures, Gresham spent summers serving as the assistant manager and assistant coach for the Full Circuit Athletics Showcase Baseball Team from 2014-17.
Gresham’s coaching career commenced in the summer of 1989 with the Grand Island Little League. He coached his team to an undefeated season that was capped off with a league championship and was thus selected as the coach of the Grand Island All-Star Travel Team. In 1991 he served as the assistant varsity baseball coach at Williamsville North High School under head coach Joe Guercio but the following year Law school took Gresham away from the game. He made a return in 2005 and, for the next five years, was an instructor/coach with Inferno Baseball/Team New Era. Gresham then served as an instructor/coach for WNY Academy Stars from 2010-2012.
Throughout the course of his coaching career, Gresham has had the privilege of coaching the following eight players who went on to play professionally:
Tanner Cooper, Cincinnati Reds Organization (35th Round 2019 MLB Draft)
Alexander Johnson, Cincinnati Reds Organization (36th Round 2019 MLB Draft)
Matt Cross, Oakland A’s Organization (19th round 2018 MLB Draft)
Leugim Castillo, Milwaukee Brewers Organization (7th Round 2017 MLB Draft)
Dan Dallas, San Diego Padres Organization (7th Round 2016 MLB Draft)
Mike Kaelin, Los Angeles Angels Organization (15th Round 2016 MLB Draft)
Jonah Heim, Currently with Oakland A’s Organization (4th Round 2013 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles)
Justin Wallace Pittsburgh Pirates Organization (1999-2000)
Prior to coaching, Gresham was a walk-on first basemen at Virginia Wesleyan College in 1988-89 (now known as Virginia Wesleyan University) in Virginia Beach, Va.
The East Amherst native graduated from SUNY Buffalo State in 1991 with a bachelor of science degree in business studies, as well as SUNY at Buffalo (UB) Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1994. After getting his law degree, he was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1995. Gresham currently serves as the Erie County Assistant District Attorney, a position he has held since January 1996.
