COACHING STAFF


In his second season coaching the Green and Gold, O’Connor led the team to a second-straight winning season, which included three series sweeps, a 12 game win streak, and a broken school record for consecutive SSC victories with 10. The team finished with an overall record of 33-16, posting an impressive home record of 21-6. O’Connor’s squad was honored with several postseason accolades, including one NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention, two ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region Selections, two NCBWA All-South Region First Team Selections, three Daktronics All-South Region Selections, four All-Sunshine State Conference Selections, the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, five SSC Player of the Week awards, three NCBWA Regional Player of the Week awards and one NCBWA All-Region Pre-Season First Team selection. The Lions also saw one player selected in the MLB Amateur Draft (Fran Whitten, 37thround to the Los Angeles Angels). 

In his first season back in the Green and Gold, O'Connor led the Lions baseball team to its highest win total (35) since 2001, the best winning percentage (.710) since 1996, and a second place finish in the Sunshine State Conference. In addition, O'Connor first year as a head coach saw six players be named to the All-Sunshine State Conference Teams, two of which were first team selections. 

O'Connor has invested nearly two decades as a college baseball coach, having coached in all three divisions of the NCAA.  His coaching career commenced in 1984 as the pitching coach at Framingham State, and spanned through the likes of Brown University, Assumption College and Providence College.

A native of Framingham, Mass., O'Connor also has extensive experience in the Major League Baseball ranks where he served as a scout for both the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants before being named a Southeast Regional Supervisor for the Seattle Mariners.  His decision-making as a scout has played an important role in the drafting of top-notch players such as Buster Posey, Jonathan Sanchez, Emmanuel Burriss, Ben Copeland, Euenio Valez and Zach Wheeler.

Through all of his baseball experience, O'Connor's most glowing accolade came in 2009 when he joined the ranks of Saint Leo elite with a nomination into the Hall of Fame.  His four-years as a student-athlete at then-Saint Leo College were some of the most successful in program history, where he was on a Monarch's squad that won 121 games.  O'Connor appeared in 63 games during his career, which stands second all-time, after starting for the Lions his first two seasons and then switching roles as closer his junior and senior campaigns.

O'Connor, who has been scouting in the Southeast for the last several years, will be able to utilize his current network, along with his coaching and playing roots from the Northeast, in order to help lead the program back to the destination it was for baseball players back in the 1970's and 80's.


Assistant Coach Keith Strickland

Former University of South Florida pitcher Keith Strickland joined the Saint Leo Baseball staff in 2009 as he begins his fifth season overseeing the development of the Lions' pitchers.

Elevated from his previous volunteer role within the program, Strickland has a long and developed history with the game of baseball. After graduating from high school, he spent five years as a pitcher for the University of South Florida where he served as a relief pitcher.

Strickland, a left-handed hurler, finished his career at USF where he notched 67 relief appearances which ranks him eighth all-time in school history. During his five-year stint with the Bulls, the Brooklyn, NY native compiled a 7-2 overall record and was a team captain during his senior year.

Leaving college in 2002, Strickland would spend the next four years playing in the minor leagues before retiring from baseball in 2005 as a member of the Ohio Valley Redcoats in the Frontier League.

Intermixed in his minor league career, Strickland tried on his coaching hat for the first time when he was named to the coaching staff at Tampa Catholic High School under the Crusaders' Head Coach Tom Reidy. During his four-year stint on the TC staff, Strickland helped send nine pitchers into the college ranks and saw one pitcher get drafted.

Strickland's other tie to Saint Leo is through his younger brother, Ryan, who played for Saint Leo in 2002-03.

Keith Strickland currently resides in Lutz, Fla.


Assistant Coach Chris Fenisey

Chris Fenisey was named a graduate assistant baseball coach in the fall of 2013. 

Prior to his appointment, he served as the Saint Leo baseball student assistant coach from January of 2010 until his graduation from Saint Leo in the spring of 2013. In continuing his role with the team, Fenisey will serve as an outfield coach and first base coach, while assisting the team in other areas such as hitting, pitching, coordinating camps, and recruiting. 

Before his coaching career began, Fenisey was a pitcher on the Saint Leo team before his career was ended due to an arm injury. Prior to coming to Saint Leo, he also worked with the Tampa Yankees

He received his B.A. in Sport Business from Saint Leo in April of 2013 and is working to complete his MBA in Sport Management. He currently resides in Dade City, Fla.