Introductory Press Conference: Head Baseball Coach Todd Interdonato

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Boston College Baseball introduced Todd Interdonato as the program's 9th head coach on Monday morning.

Opening Statement: First of all, thank you to the entire Boston College community. As we've learned quickly, in this process, this is a community, a very family oriented one, led by Father Leahy, down to Blake, and then really want to thank Craig and Matt for conducting the search with the transparency and the professionalism that they did. And, really refreshing way of going about it and just really appreciate your guys support and communication, and just did it in a first class matter, it meant a lot to me and my family.

Family here today… this is everything to us. We started our life in South Carolina together, Wofford College was home to us. Those girls were born… Keegan's first game was Wofford versus BC… as crazy as that sounds, our first home game at Wofford in 2015. And I think there was maybe a story there, because I think it was about 34 degrees, and Melissa had her bundled up and it was freezing cold… but we got through it and, and we won't go over the story of what happened that day for everybody in this room. But it was a great day, and it just so fitting that these things tie together with family, and history, and the fact that that was her first game against against BC, just kind of one of those moments you can't replicate.

Family in Arizona parents, brothers, all that support just goes without saying. And then, as we were there for 18 years, we were at Wofford for 18 years. And you know, you look at a place like BC and and you talk to coaches, and you talk to friends. And they're like, man, that's a no brainer. And it is. And it is. When this opportunity came for our family, we knew we were going to say yes. And when you start reflecting back on 18 years, all the players, all the coaches, all the staff, I mean, you just, the athletic trainers, the strength and conditioning coaches, bus drivers, I mean, everybody just you just pour your life into something for 18 years. And I know we wouldn't be here today without without their support. None more than JJ Edwards.

And I'm so thrilled for him that he gets to take over Wofford and lead that… we built it, an architect, a partner. And the fact that those kids are in his hands, you know, you just pass it off to somebody that means a lot to you. It's just, again, just everything kind of coming together, it just, it just means the world to us. When you think about BC, and you think about the potential and what it can be, you try to look at this from a broad view, from a 30,000 foot view. And it comes down to three things that where we believe we can have success and sustainability. It's the institution, the conference, and the city. And when you look at it from that perspective, those three factors, you just can't do better than this institution, this conference, in this city. And then you combine the fact with these facilities, where you're able to develop these players into first class men and professional baseball players. And then combine that with a logo that has power in this region that you can recruit to, when you start looking at all these factors, it just, to me, it just gives us an ability for us to have sustainable success and be able to build the program. What I mentioned to Blake through the process is you have a chance to build this program on top of the institution. And that was really what was really attractive to us, was the fact that the foundation is here, the foundation of the school, the conference, the city, the facilities, the logo, and you just have a chance to build on top of that.

When, when Blake and I first came to an agreement, I wanted to start reaching out to the players. And that was really what we wanted to do. I wanted, we wanted to connect with the players, we wanted to let them know that there was something in place, they could take a deep breath, you know, went through it twice with all the Wofford players. And then with the BC players, that transition is tough on young men, and just the uncertainty and they're not really sure what's going to happen. And they think they were walking into one thing and now it's changed in the middle of their career and, you know, their families have impact on that as well. Almost immediately after Blake came to an agreement, I called Vince Cimini. And I just said, 'hey, man, take a deep breath, relax. We have somebody in place. We're good. We're gonna move forward. And I just want to express our thanks. And you sticking with BC through this transition through this process'. And he's like, 'yeah, of course. Of course, we were gonna stick with BC'. And I go, ' No, I understand the uncertainty. And, you know, you deal with coaches and one on one'. And he just frankly said, he goes, 'Todd, I speak for everybody. We'd rather die than go play for another program'. That simple, that matter of fact. And that was immediately the moment that I knew the power that this institution has on these student-athletes. So we're excited to join. We're excited to be here. Again, thanks to Blake, Father Leahy, Craig, Matt, my family, JJ, and we just can't wait to get started. And we are just ecstatic to be joining this family. So thank you for being here. Thank you for the sport, and we're ready to go.

Q: Like you mentioned, Coach, Wofford's obviously a place that's very special to you and your family. A lot of time and success there. What about Boston College is an institution that convinced you that this is the right time to make the switch?

Answer: Well, as we were progressing through our careers at Wofford, you know, there was never a point where we felt like we needed to leave or we even wanted to leave it was, you know, we'd loved living in, in the upstate of South Carolina. And, you know, our family, we loved it, there was, and just what, you know, what we had built there was really special and, and what was inside that locker room was really special. And as we went through this process, where it really gave us the most comfort was, it just starts with the institution. And when it starts with the institution like Wofford or like BC, that trickles down to the players, and then that trickles down to the family environment that you see in athletic departments. And again, when you look at making a change from a place that you love, and a place that you built on, you want to do it in a place that you feel like you could, you can be yourself. And that was that was really one of the questions I asked Matt and Craig early on was, what are you looking for in your next head coach, because if those characteristics don't line up, we need to be able to come in here and be ourselves. And Boston College we felt like provided us an opportunity to come in and be ourselves. And we feel like that's the best chance of being successful.

Q: You talked about this a little bit already, but just what's kind of stood out to you about being up here, and what excites you about being in the New England region, and the players up here?

Answer: Well, we can continue to talk about the institution that's BC, but you know, we love Boston, like my family and I we've been we've been traveling up here a bunch, and we love this city, we love the people. You know, we love what it brings. And all there is to do, and raising two young girls in this place, with the education it provides, is you know, that you just can't really ask for anything better. But really, once we got through the process, and once we kind of got in and got into the program, really what has excited us is the players, and just their vibe and what they want to do, and their vision for the program. And just really feel like this can be a collaborative effort between our staff and our players. And when those guys are invested in the program, the way they are, it just it just brings great excitement.

Q: First of all, welcome. You were at your previous employer for a long time. The [previous] coach here was here for a long time. College sports are not meant for longevity. What do you think the key is to, you know, staying in one place for a long time?

Answer: Well, I think it comes down to a few factors and you know, you can have moderate sustainability if you're a good coach and a bad employee of the institution. You can do it the other way, you can be a good employee of the institution and an average coach. But I think really the most powerful thing is to be, not only be a good coach and a successful coach, but you have to be a steward and you have to be a good employee of the college. I think if you're able to do those two things, I think it provides sustainability. And when people look at these jobs, they look at these things from, what's between the lines, oh, this job over this job or this conference to this conference. But really, it goes much deeper than that. It's institution, it's supporting the athletic department, it's what's good for your family, what's good for those two girls. And if you're able to hit it on all sides, I feel like that's really where the sustainability comes from. And, you know, we'd like to think that, you know, we did a good job coaching that team. And we'd like to think we were good employees of Wofford College as well for our tenure there.

Q: Last season, obviously a record season on the field, but also in the stands in terms of, you know, fan and student engagement. How do you plan on sort of building on last season's momentum work when it comes to connecting the student body?

Answer: Well, I think really just showed, you know, the timing of this building, with COVID, you know, really coming through there, from a player development perspective could not have been better timing, from a fan engagement perspective, maybe couldn't have been worse timing. And I think this was really the first year in '23, where, you know, this program had success, where there were some energy, there was a buzz about BC baseball, and just in this whole plaza, combined with softball, and what can transform here, I think this was really the first time that fans, students, the student body, you know, and it's more than that, it's administrators and their families, a day at the ballpark. And, you know, hey, we have this opponent here. And it's, you know, the weather's good. Let's go hang out on the concourse, up at Harrington. And I just think, really, what last year did was just lay a footprint for what it can be here. And I think, if we continue to do what we know, Boston College is capable of, and continue to have the student athletes that we know are here, I think, I think the product sells itself. And then this, I mean, who wouldn't want to come around here and spend the day here at the field, just kind of in this environment, at Harrington, and I just can't think of any place better to be on a Saturday afternoon.

Q: One of the cool things about BC is all the coaches are very tight. Have you interacted with any of the other head coaches yet? And what have those experiences been like?

Answer: It's been great, you know, it's, it's been great, you kind of, you know, I don't know what transition feels like, right? Like you said it like, I mean, I've been in a place for 18 years, like, this is this is for territory for us. And just, every single head coach reached out, almost every single head coach reached out, and, you know, you get here and, and you're going crazy, and you're kind of going through this and you know, and all of a sudden, it's Jeff [Hafley] reaches out, and every other coach reaches out and Amy [Kvilhaug] comes by to spend time with us. And, you know, you just get it, you just get a sense of that. And, and even those text messages are rolling into last night. You know, I'm getting texts at 10-11 o'clock last night from coaches, welcoming us and what can we do to help? How can we help? You know, even Blake, you know, hey, you know, my wife can be a resource for your wife. And you know, let's get everybody integrated. It's been, it's been incredible. And you just really start, you have these preconceived notions that BC is going to be a family environment. But in the first four days, they've even exceeded those expectations.

Q: We're in a building right now named after Pete Frates, you were just introduced by the Frates family. What does it mean to you to represent a program whose mission is so you know, fighting for something bigger than baseball?

Answer: So you're trying to get me to go from choked up to just full tears in here in front of everybody. I appreciate that, what's your name again, I'll keep that in mind. Appreciate that. What John and Nancy may not know is Melissa and I met Pete all the way back in 2012. And we were here. Apologies to everybody. But my wife is a Clemson grad. And was born and raised in the upstate of South Carolina, High School in the upstate, went to Clemson and think it was 2012 I believe, 10, 11, 12… Clemson was playing at BC on Wofford's fall break. And we decided to come up and take a visit and obviously we had a relationship with Mike, and with Sully, and the previous staff, and Scott Friedholm was here at the time. And the 'hey come down to the tailgate this and that' and we walk into the garage over there in front of Conte and 'hey meet some of these guys, meet these alumni'. And we're going through it, and Pete was part of that group. And you know, obviously we knew the story, you know, I don't know if I have my years exactly right. You know, that was that was quite a long time ago, and certainly you guys have been through more than anybody could ever imagine. And by the way, handled it with such grace and such impact. I told you. But then we got to, you know, we got to be around him all the way, you know, from 2012. And then had been around him three, four times through throughout the course of the rest of his life. And you know… I don't know how somebody from the outside can do that justice, but we're going to try.

Q: Have you thought about or talked to any assistant coaches or anything like that yet?

Answer: Oh, brother. Yeah, I think I think my wife and girls could answer that question better than I could. But yeah, the interest that we've gotten, you know, Greg Sullivan has been on staff here for a dozen years and, you know, I had a previous relationship with Greg. What a lot of people don't know is we hired Greg at Wofford 12 years ago, and hired him from Newbury and was at Wofford for six weeks until BC stolen back. And so, but Greg and I had a great relationship in between, you know, then 12 years ago, we hired him as an assistant at Wofford, and then, you know, kept in constant communication. But really, when we got here, you know, we, you know, frankly, had a lot of pointed questions that with Craig, and Matt, and Blake, about the value that he brings, and then once you get around the players, and the value that that Greg brings to the program, it was, it was a no brainer to keep him, it was an absolute no brainer to keep him. And then you know, now we have, you know, we have our pitching coach slot and our hitting coach slot to fill. And, you know, yeah, to say that we've been through interviews and phone calls, and zooms, and all of that. I mean, it's just been, it's been our number one focus of getting the best guys in here. But, you know, when I met with the players in the locker room, I told them, we are going to get the best absolute people that we can, because this is, this is going to be a player centric program. Every, every decision we make is going to be about the development of the players. And I told those guys in the meeting, I would not have been standing in that locker room being introduced as their next head coach, without player development. That was, that was our number one focus at Wofford, and it's legitimately the number one reason why we were afforded this opportunity. So we have to find guys that are that are player centric as well. And they're not all like that. Not all coaches are player centric. A lot of coaches are coaches centric. And so we're gonna do a deep dive, we've already done a deep dive, probably talked to upwards of, you know, 30 to 40 candidates in the last two days, and we will get the right people, I assure you of that that share our vision for for building a player centric program.

Introductory Press Conference: Head Baseball Coach Todd Interdonato

Players Mentioned

Vince Cimini

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