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Mingione (pronounced MEN-gee-own), a former standout player and coach for Embry-Riddle, spent the past two seasons as volunteer assistant coach at Kentucky where he duties included working with the Wildcat outfielders, as well as assisting in overall offensive instruction. In addition to his coaching duties, Mingione also coordinated UK baseball camps. Over the past two seasons, UK won 78 games, tied for the most wins in a two-year period in school history.
In his first year with the Wildcats, Mingione helped direct one of the greatest seasons in the history of Southeastern Conference baseball as the 2006 Kentucky baseball team completed a historic worst place-to-first place turnaround en route to claiming the school's first-ever SEC championship. En route to the title, the `Cats won a school-record 44 games and set UK records in runs scored (500), walks drawn (337), HBP (80), sacrifice bunts (67) and sacrifice flies (34)
Last season in Lexington, the record-setting trend continued as the Mingione helped the Wildcats put together 19-straight wins at the start of the season to set the school benchmark for consecutive wins and best start (19-0) in 103 years of collegiate baseball. UK also finished atop the NCAA rankings for on-base percentage in '07.
All told, Kentucky set or reestablished 12 team school records and garnered 11 SEC weekly honors in Mingione's two seasons.
Born in Tarrytown, N.Y., the Cape Coral, Fla., native spent two years as an assistant coach at Embry Riddle. Prior to his return to his alma mater, he served as a volunteer assistant at Florida Gulf Coast University for six months.
During his five years as an assistant coach, Mingione helped direct four conference championships with an average of 46 wins per season, while compiling an impressive 232-72 record. He has also made three trips to the NAIA World Series as a coach. His teams finished fifth in 2003, third in 2004, and second in 2005. In addition, Mingione has helped coach 18 players to All-America honors, six of which garnered first-team recognition.
"Nick (Mingione) is a solid baseball coach who has been a part of winning traditions," Moranda said. "He is great with people; that, with his energy and enthusiasm for the game made him an obvious choice to come to Cullowhee and to also be our recruiting coordinator."
An outfielder at Embry-Riddle for four years, Mingione lead the team to three runner-up finishes in the Florida Sun Conference and one conference championship. He played an integral part in the successes of the 1999 team, which was the first team in program history to make a national championship appearance.
As a freshman, he appeared in 45 of the Eagles' 47 games and posted a .324 batting average. After equally successful sophomore and junior campaigns, Mingione capped off his career with a .392 batting average, including 18 doubles and 32 stolen bases during his senior year. Mingione made a place for himself in the Embry-Riddle record books, finishing his career among the Eagles' top ten all-time in games played, runs scored, at-bats, doubles, hits and runs batted in.
In 1997, Mingione was the first recipient of the Kenneth J. Sliwa Memorial Scholarship, which recognized his accomplishments of academic commitment, tenacity, work ethic, enthusiasm, selflessness and hustle. He co-founded the Eagle-Legacy council, an organization comprised of former Embry-Riddle baseball players who seek to enhance the future of the Eagle baseball program.
Mingione graduated from Embry-Riddle in 2000 with a degree in Aerospace Studies and three minors in Business, Psychology, and Humanities. Mingione then returned to his alma mater, Mariner High School, where he served as the Assistant Dean of Students for two years. In addition, he took on the role of Assistant Coach to the football and baseball teams.
