Villanova Univeristy Athletics

The most successful head coach in Villanova baseball history, George Bennett guided the Wildcats from 1986-01 and is the program’s all-time leader with 463 victories.  He led Villanova to a combined five BIG EAST titles between the regular season and conference tournament, as well as two NCAA Tournament appearances one regional final.  Bennett coached five players who went on to play in the major leagues, and his jersey (#6) is one of just six retired by the baseball program.
 
Bennett took over as head coach of the Wildcats in 1986 and went 21-20-1 during his first season.  He would post a winning record in 13 of his 16 years as head coach, as well as a .500 record in his final season in the dugout.  Bennett guided the team to an average of nearly 29 wins per season, including the only two years in program history with 40 or more victories in 1989 (42-13) and 1995 (40-14).  Villanova was also an impressive 176-156 in regular season BIG EAST action during Bennett’s career.  The team won regular season conference crowns in 1988 (16-2), 1993 (14-7) and 1996 (16-5) in addition to conference tournament titles in 1989 and 1991.
 
Villanova’s magical season in 1989 included separate winning streaks of 16 and 10 games.  After winning the BIG EAST title with three straight wins over Providence (11-0), Seton Hall (8-7) and Providence again in the championship game (10-7), the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA East Regional.  Villanova fell to Miami (4-1) in their first game before reeling off three straight wins over East Carolina (10-6), Georgia Tech (18-16) and Central Florida (5-2).  That setup a rematch against Miami with a spot in the College World Series up for grabs, and the Wildcats were dealt a narrow 3-1 defeat.
 
Villanova won another BIG EAST title in 1991, when it overcame a loss to Providence in its first game of the conference tournament and won four straight games to return to the NCAA East Regional.  The conference tournament run included consecutive victories over top-seed St. John’s by scores of 6-2 and 12-3 in the final two games.
 
Bennett was the BIG EAST Coach of the Year in 1988 and again in 1993.  During his time as head coach, the Wildcats earned 11 major conference awards.  In addition to Bennett’s two Coach of the Year nods, Villanova also had four Player of the Year selections, two Pitcher of the Year honorees and four Rookie of the Year winners.  The major awards were in addition to 38 all-conference selections, including 26 first team honorees.
 
Villanova players were also chosen in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft 23 times during Bennett’s tenure, including five picks in the first five rounds of the draft.  Five of Bennett’s Villanova players went on to play in the major leagues, including outfielder Mike Neill, pitcher Rafael Novoa, first baseman Gene Schall, third baseman Gary Scott and pitcher Brian Slocum.