Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Joe Sullivan
In Interdonato, A Continuation For The New Era
July 18, 2023 | Baseball, #ForBoston Files
Birdball's new coach is ready to build on his already-successful resume.
Boston College doesn't usually cross paths with Wofford College. The two schools run in very different circles of the college athletics landscape, and it's uncommon for an Atlantic Coast Conference school situated in the Northeast to ever play a South Carolina-based program in the Southern Conference. The sheer volume of programs dotting the geography between the two schools offer too many options, and their differences minimize the likelihood of ever intentionally finding ways onto each other's schedule.
Imagine the confluence of events, then, for Todd Interdonato. The new head coach of the Boston College baseball program, he always held a special affinity for Birdball after the home debut of the Terriers' 2015 iteration occurred against the Eagles in the same type of weather the Boston-based team tried to escape.
"Wofford College was home to us," Interdonato said during his introductory press conference on Monday morning. "[Our daughters] were born [there]...Keegan's first game was Wofford versus BC. As crazy as that sounds, [it was] 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. We got through it, and we won't go over the story of what happened that day [Wofford won, 8-4], but it was a great day and just so fitting that these things tie together with family and history and the fact that that was her first game, against BC. Just kind of one of those moments you can't replicate."
Family-based concepts are hard-coded pillars at Boston College, but the hiring of Interdonato sent ripples of excitement through a baseball community teeming with interest. Personal accolades aside, his career at Wofford offered the exact blend of passion and experience to a program now seeking a new, revolutionary approach to its ages-old concepts.
"We were at Wofford for 18 years," Interdonato said, "and you look at a place like BC and talk to coaches and talk to friends, and they're like, man it's a no brainer. When this opportunity came to our family, we knew we were going to say yes, and when you start reflecting on 18 years, all the players, all the coaches, all the staff, the athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, bus drivers - everybody - you just pour your life into something, and we wouldn't be here [at BC] without their support."
Interdonato's reputation extends primarily to the success built in the SoCon, but the track record constructed in Spartanburg made this one of the most strategic hires of the 2023 coaching cycle. Sixteen of his 18 seasons with the Terriers were spent as the head coach, and eight of his last nine seasons with the team produced 30-win seasons, including 40-win years in each of the last two seasons for a two-time SoCon regular season champion.
Five seasons ended with at least 35 wins, and 12 of the program's 18 Major League Baseball Draft selections passed through the black and gold uniform under Interdonato's tutelage. In his final season this past spring, a 40-win team was snubbed from the NCAA Tournament field despite holding the country's 13th best batting average and the best rate of walks per nine innings. Pitcher Lucas Mahlstedt earned National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist consideration, the first of its kind in school history, and Ryan Galanie won the Southern Conference's Player of the Year award en route to a 13th round selection by the Chicago White Sox.
The start of the season included a program-record 14-game winning streak, and Wofford entered the top-25 for the first time in school history after defeating 18th-ranked Dallas Baptist with a road series win.
"There was never a point where we felt like we needed to leave or we even wanted to leave," Interdonato said. "We loved living in the upstate of South Carolina, and our family loved it. What we built there was really special, and what was inside that locker room was really special. As we went through this process, where it gave us the most comfort, it just starts with the institution and then that trickles down to the players. Then that trickles down to the family environment that you see in athletic departments. When you look at making a change from a place that you love, you want to do it in a place that you feel like you can be yourself."
Being himself influenced a full generation of Wofford baseball players and built a culture centered on discipline, teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Turning the program into a SoCon powerhouse helped players flourish on the personal level, and the transformation, in turn, emphasized the holistic success of the entire team.Â
Those axioms fit BC's historical reputation as a scrappy underdog program requiring a different kind of mental fortitude. The Birdball way instilled over the program's history book promoted the same type of personal growth through the development of tough, character-based baseball, and the short-term success built eras of long-term achievement, both on and off the diamond. To that degree, the arrival of the next chapter is very much set up to succeed for the same reasons, all of which is centered on a family's next step in its journey.
"We've been traveling up here a bunch," Interdonato said, "and we love this city. We love the people. We love what it brings. But really, once we got through the process and once we got in and got into the program, what has really excited us is the players, just their vibe and what they want to do and their vision for the program. This really feels like it can be a collaborative effort between our staff and our players. When those guys are invested in the program, the way that they are, it just brings great excitement."
Imagine the confluence of events, then, for Todd Interdonato. The new head coach of the Boston College baseball program, he always held a special affinity for Birdball after the home debut of the Terriers' 2015 iteration occurred against the Eagles in the same type of weather the Boston-based team tried to escape.
"Wofford College was home to us," Interdonato said during his introductory press conference on Monday morning. "[Our daughters] were born [there]...Keegan's first game was Wofford versus BC. As crazy as that sounds, [it was] 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. We got through it, and we won't go over the story of what happened that day [Wofford won, 8-4], but it was a great day and just so fitting that these things tie together with family and history and the fact that that was her first game, against BC. Just kind of one of those moments you can't replicate."
Family-based concepts are hard-coded pillars at Boston College, but the hiring of Interdonato sent ripples of excitement through a baseball community teeming with interest. Personal accolades aside, his career at Wofford offered the exact blend of passion and experience to a program now seeking a new, revolutionary approach to its ages-old concepts.
"We were at Wofford for 18 years," Interdonato said, "and you look at a place like BC and talk to coaches and talk to friends, and they're like, man it's a no brainer. When this opportunity came to our family, we knew we were going to say yes, and when you start reflecting on 18 years, all the players, all the coaches, all the staff, the athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, bus drivers - everybody - you just pour your life into something, and we wouldn't be here [at BC] without their support."
Interdonato's reputation extends primarily to the success built in the SoCon, but the track record constructed in Spartanburg made this one of the most strategic hires of the 2023 coaching cycle. Sixteen of his 18 seasons with the Terriers were spent as the head coach, and eight of his last nine seasons with the team produced 30-win seasons, including 40-win years in each of the last two seasons for a two-time SoCon regular season champion.
Five seasons ended with at least 35 wins, and 12 of the program's 18 Major League Baseball Draft selections passed through the black and gold uniform under Interdonato's tutelage. In his final season this past spring, a 40-win team was snubbed from the NCAA Tournament field despite holding the country's 13th best batting average and the best rate of walks per nine innings. Pitcher Lucas Mahlstedt earned National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist consideration, the first of its kind in school history, and Ryan Galanie won the Southern Conference's Player of the Year award en route to a 13th round selection by the Chicago White Sox.
The start of the season included a program-record 14-game winning streak, and Wofford entered the top-25 for the first time in school history after defeating 18th-ranked Dallas Baptist with a road series win.
"There was never a point where we felt like we needed to leave or we even wanted to leave," Interdonato said. "We loved living in the upstate of South Carolina, and our family loved it. What we built there was really special, and what was inside that locker room was really special. As we went through this process, where it gave us the most comfort, it just starts with the institution and then that trickles down to the players. Then that trickles down to the family environment that you see in athletic departments. When you look at making a change from a place that you love, you want to do it in a place that you feel like you can be yourself."
Being himself influenced a full generation of Wofford baseball players and built a culture centered on discipline, teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Turning the program into a SoCon powerhouse helped players flourish on the personal level, and the transformation, in turn, emphasized the holistic success of the entire team.Â
Those axioms fit BC's historical reputation as a scrappy underdog program requiring a different kind of mental fortitude. The Birdball way instilled over the program's history book promoted the same type of personal growth through the development of tough, character-based baseball, and the short-term success built eras of long-term achievement, both on and off the diamond. To that degree, the arrival of the next chapter is very much set up to succeed for the same reasons, all of which is centered on a family's next step in its journey.
"We've been traveling up here a bunch," Interdonato said, "and we love this city. We love the people. We love what it brings. But really, once we got through the process and once we got in and got into the program, what has really excited us is the players, just their vibe and what they want to do and their vision for the program. This really feels like it can be a collaborative effort between our staff and our players. When those guys are invested in the program, the way that they are, it just brings great excitement."
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