Chris Francis is in his third year at the helm of The College of Saint Rose baseball team. He was named the first full-time head coach of the College’s baseball program in late July of 2011.
“My family and I are extremely honored and humbled to become part of the Saint Rose family. I am excited to have an opportunity to build on Bob Bellizzi’s legacy. Bob was the person responsible for creating this program. We are going to try and live up to the standard of excellence he established,” said Francis.
A 1997 graduate of Ithaca College with a bachelor’s degree in sports information and communications, Francis brings a wealth of success along with a vast array of knowledge and experience to the table. Each of the four previous colleges that he coached at garnered NCAA Tournament berths throughout his tenure.
Francis coached at the collegiate level for 15 years prior to taking over the Golden Knights. Twenty-seven of his former players have signed professional contracts following their college careers. Additionally, he has coached summer teams in both the Mid-Atlantic based Coastal Plains League and the New York Collegiate Baseball League.
Francis has hit the ground running since his arrival in the Capital Region. His efforts have already yielded five NCAA Division I transfers, including two early signees this year.
Francis previously spent four seasons as an assistant at NCAA Division II Mansfield University (PA). He helped lead the Mountaineers to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010, a pair of 30-win campaigns, and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2010, the first for the Mountaineers since 2002.
Francis began his coaching career in 1997 at the University of Rochester where he was an assistant coach in charge of pitching, catching, outfielders, and recruiting. In 2000, Francis moved to Ithaca College and became the assistant coach in charge of outfielders before heading to Virginia Wesleyan in 2003 where for five seasons he managed pitching and defense in addition to scheduling, traveling, recruiting, and the budget.
At Virginia Wesleyan, Francis helped guide the Marlins to the 2003 and 2004 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament and regular-season championships, along with another postseason title in 2006. The 2003 squad went 34-9, finished third in the NCAA South Regional, and posted a 2.19 ERA; the nation’s second best mark. Virginia Wesleyan finished 31-12 the following season, was fifth in the South Regional and recorded the nation’s 25th best ERA mark of 3.64. In 2006, the Marlins were third once again in the South Regional.
Francis previously helped lead Ithaca to three consecutive Empire 8 Conference Championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances from 2000-2002. Pitching again was a key component to that success as both the 2001 and 2002 Bombers’ squads finished among the country’s top-20 teams in terms of ERA.
Francis previously helped direct the University of Rochester to a pair of ECAC titles during this three-year tenure, including an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999.
Francis played collegiate baseball for Hall of Fame coach George Valesente at Ithaca College from 1994 to 1997 and was part of the 1994, 1995, and 1997 teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The 1994 squad furthermore advanced to the NCAA College World Series. Francis was also a captain on the 1997 team when he was named second-team All-Region and was the recipient of the Carlton “Carp” Wood Award for Attitude.
Francis and his wife Meghan have a son, Christian, and a daughter, Lillian.
