Doug Delett enters his 7th season with the Utica Blue Sox and his 4th season as the team’s head coach. Delett was the pitching coach for the Blue Sox from 2016-2018, while also being promoted to assistant head coach in 2018, before getting the nod to become the Utica skipper in 2019 and carries a 81-50 record during that time.
The 2022 Blue Sox earned the second seed in the PGCBL playoffs under Delett’s direction and posted a 27-19 record. From June 13th to June 29th, the Blue Sox went on a tear, setting the league record for most consecutive wins in a row ever by a franchise in the PGCBL with 14. Delett continued his tutelage of the PGCBL’s best and brightest with multiple Blue Sox earning All-League honors for 2022. Among them, Dewey Roden (1B – Le Moyne & VVS High School) and Alex Canino (RHP – Limestone University) were named 1st Team All-PGCBL, while Ryan Enos (2B – East Tennessee State & Oriskany High School), Evan Esch (LHP – University of St. Thomas), and Will King (C – Eastern Kentucky) were all named 2nd Team All-PGCBL. The Blue Sox 5 All-PGCBL Honorees were the second most in the league.
After the PGCBL did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic, Delett led the 2021 Blue Sox to a divisional title, capturing the Central Division title with a 24-17 record, besting the Auburn DoubleDays in a late season race.
Delett’s first season as the head man in 2019 for the Blue Sox was a more than successful one, capturing the PGCBL West Division crown with a 30-14 record, and sending a league-high seven Blue Sox to the PGCBL All-Star game.
Delett is a Utica-area native, graduating from Whitesboro High School in 1977. While at Whitesboro he garnered a First-Team Central Oneida League selection in his senior year.
From there Delett made the short trip down the road to Mohawk Valley Community College. During the 1978 season he was a part of a MVCC squad that concluded the year as the 3rd ranked team in New York State.
Delett remained local following his college days, playing for the Utica Blue Sox from 1981-83 in the New York-Penn League as an independent organization. During his years with the Blue Sox, actor/comedian Bill Murray was one of the club’s owners.
Delett’s rookie season in Utica was a special one for the now Blue Sox head coach, getting the ball as the starting pitcher on opening day in 1981 against the Little Falls Mets. Two weeks later he threw a complete game against the same Mets team, only surrendering four hits.
After his playing days were over, Delett became the coach of the freshman team at JFK High School in Utica in 1984.
Delett made his return to coaching the game as an instructor 13 years ago, before returning to his former stomping grounds of Murnane Field as the pitching coach in 2016.
Andrew Davino is one of the new members of the Utica Blue Sox coaching staff. Davino is a native of Lakeland, Florida and earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport Business at Saint Leo University.
Davino has been coaching for 17 years. He is the Head JV and Catching Instructor at Lakeland High School. Among the athletes he coached at Lakeland was a District Player of the Year and a MaxPreps Player of the Year. Davino also coached Samuel Hernandez, a catcher who got drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 14th round in 2022.
Davino has also spent time as the head baseball coach at Triple Crown Sports Academy, from 2013 to 2019, where he was able to workout with young athletes looking for college and professional tryouts. He also worked on player development programs with the Cleveland Indians.
Last summer, Davino worked as the manager for the Boonville Lumberjacks. On that team, Davino coached three Perfect Game All-Stars and two players who earned First Team All-League honors.
Davino hosts his own YouTube channel, Andrew Davino Baseball, that has been running for seven years. He posts various drills that he runs at his training camps as well as other educational videos promoting situational awareness in baseball.
Davino has also diversified his coaching experience by working with Rapsodo hitting, Baseball Scouting Bureau, Driveline Baseball, USA Baseball Coach and OnBaseU. He is also a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association.
With a resume that includes working with active MLB players including Rougned Odor, Davino looks to be a valuable new asset to the Blue Sox coaching staff.
Luke Schulte is joining the Blue Sox coaching staff this summer as the new Pitching Coach. He was born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey.
Schulte attended Morristown High School from 2014-2017 and played for their baseball team all four years. In his junior year, his high school team won the state sectional title and we state runners-up.. During his senior year, Schulte hit .355 and slugged .484 while also registering a 2.76 ERA on the mound as a two-way player..
After graduating from Morristown, he moved on to County College of Morris. After one season, he was named Captain of the team. During his freshman year, Schulte hit .500 and had a 12.49 K/9, which ranked him 30th in the country. After his sophomore year he won the Joe Maugeri Award for hard work, selflessness, leadership and integrity.
After two years at County College of Morris, Schulte transferred to Utica University. His first year was cut short due to Covid, and in his senior year Schulte suffered a torn labrum. However, he could not stay away from baseball and became a coach.
In his three years as a member of the Utica University coaching staff, the team has had a steadily increasing winning record. They have also been the best offensive team and appeared in the conference finals two of the three years. During that span, the team has seen the first ever back-to-back All-Region player, the first All-Region Pitcher and the first major award winner in the conference.
Mike Macchione is entering his first year as a Blue Sox coach this summer. He will be taking over catching coach duties, while also bringing a significant amount of experience to this year’s club.
Many Blue Sox fans may recognize Coach Macchione because he has been a staple in the local community for 50 plus years. Born and raised in Utica, Macchione attended Proctor High School and graduated in 1965. During his time at Proctor, he was a member of the baseball team and played catcher. At this time, he also spent two years playing legion baseball for Adrean Post, the beginning of nearly a lifetime spent with Adrean and legion baseball. Macchione also spent time playing with former big league outfielder Dave Cash who, most notably, played for the Philadelphia Phillies, as well as Pittsburgh Pirates 3rd round pick Richard Grimaldi.
After graduating high school, Macchione enlisted in the Air Force where he was stationed in Guam, Okinawa, Thailand, and Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts. Once he returned, he briefly played in the Utica municipal league before kickstarting a long and impressive coaching career.
In 1971, Coach Macchione suited up as the head coach for Adrean Post, a position he would hold for 52 years. This impressive feat was even further exemplified by his dedication to his team and his love of the game. Under Macchione, Adrean won many league titles including an especially impressive playoff run in the early 1990s when his team was a game away from the Legion World Series. Macchione built a thriving legion baseball program that consistently won 20-25 games a year.
In the past few years, Macchione has taken up an administrative role with the Adrean club, while also becoming the New York State Legion Baseball Chairman. This role has allowed Macchione to help guide legion baseball and spark up interest in future generations of ballplayers.
Off the field, Coach Macchione has been married to his high school sweetheart for 52 years. He and his wife still live in Utica, and are the proud parents of 3 children, a son and two daughters. Macchione is quite proud of his children, his oldest daughter is a deputy assistant, his son is an art director, and finally his youngest daughter works freelance social media work.
Macchione looks forward to the upcoming season. He feels that it represents a great opportunity to stay in the game, while also allowing him to coach at the collegiate level, something that he enjoys. Coach Macchione is an exciting addition to this years’ staff because of his experience and love of the game, nonetheless he is a local coach who has contributed significantly to baseball in the area.