Chestnut Hill College Athletics

Robert Spratt has directed the Chestnut Hill College baseball program since its inaugural season of 2008. Under Spratt the Griffins have developed into a consistent competitor for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) crown and regional rankings.

In 18 seasons as the Griffins’ head coach, Spratt has amassed 343 wins.  Coupled with his nine seasons as the head coach at Penn State-Abington, Spratt has accumulated 448 wins over his 27 year coaching career.

Spratt’s teams have reached the CACC Tournament 11 times in his 18 seasons as head coach, reaching the tournament championship three times.   The program has produced 45 All-CACC performers and eight All-Region honorees, including the program’s first National Athletic Collegiate Conference (NCAA) Daktronics Division II All-American and the 2015 CACC Pitcher of the Year Dominic Raia III ’15). To his credit, Spratt has also produced three CACC Rookies of the Year and the 2012 CACC Scholar Athlete of the Year (Jesse Daywalt ’12) and fostered five Griffins to professional contracts; Andrew Dietz ’22 (Florence Y’alls – Frontier Baseball League), Alec Craig '18 (Westside Woolly Mammoths - United Shore Professional Baseball League), Raia (Garden State Grays – Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball), Richard Cavazza ’14 (Watertown Bucks – North Country Baseball League (NY)), and Bryan Henry (Arizona Diamondbacks – Major League Baseball, 2011 Draftee #1084).

Spratt’s Griffins were ranked ninth in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) DII East Region Poll early in the season after beating three regionally ranked teams to open the 2025 campaign.  Chestnut Hill went to earn their 11^th appearance in the CACC Championship Tournament, finishing with a 20-14 conference record and a 25-22 overall mark.  Senior catcher Justin Geiger added his name to the 150-hit banner with three hits in game one vs. Georgian Court University on April 21.  Geiger also scored his 100^th run and recorded his 100^th career RBI in the same game.  Senior pitcher Jake Schweiker also recorded his 150^th career strikeout in the game.

The program earned its 300^th victory on April 23, 2023, all under Spratt’s steady hand as they defeated Post 8-6.  Earlier in the season, Spratt who coached nine seasons at Penn State Abington, recorded the 400^th win of his coaching career  as the Griffins defeated Alliance University on March 31.

The 2022 season saw three players reach the 150-hit milestone starting with Dietz (College of Staten Island on March 20); John Contoudis (Goldey-Beacom College on April 3) and Sam Barletta (Wilmington university on April 24).  Dietz would finish his career as the Griffins all-time hit leader with 186, surpassing  Ameir Uzzell who finished his career in 2021 with 185.

The 2021 season saw the Griffins reach post-season play for the tenth time in program history, reaching the CACC South Division semi-finals.  Uzell became the Griffins all-time hit leader with a hit in his final at bat in the CACC semi-final loss to give him 185 for his career.  The season saw the Griffins receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) DII East Region Poll as the team finished with a 19-14 overall mark and a 13-9 mark in league play.

Receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) DII East Region Poll and ranking 10^th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) DII East Region Poll, the 2019 season included the Griffins' ninth straight CACC Championship Tournament appearance. They finished the regular season in a tie for second place in the CACC South Division (27-22, 21-11 CACC) and surpassed the program record for CACC wins in a single season with a 6-0, game-one win over Goldey-Beacom College on April 23. Senior catcher Eric Gilham (Deptford, N.J.) added his named to the 150-hit banner with a four-hit game at Bloomfield College on April 17 and earned 2019 All-East Region First Team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings, the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA), and the NCBWA. Junior third baseman Ameir Uzzell (Levittown, Pa.) was the program’s second player to be named the NCBWA DII East Region Hitter of the Week, doing so on April 16 after helping Chestnut Hill College to a 4-2 week of league play with a .615/.630/.885 slash line that produced 21 runs. On the mound, a strong group of sophomores have kept the Griffins’ opponents uncomfortable in the batter’s box; sophomore Billy Bethel (Yardley, Pa.) led the group with seven wins, while Thomas Hughes (Phoenixville, Pa.) carried a team-best 3.44 earned run average (ERA).

2018 was the fifth 20-win season (23-21, 18-14 CACC) in 11 years for Chestnut Hill College, who qualified for their eighth CACC Championship Tournament appearance in the last nine seasons. Craig led the campaign with all-region recognition from the Division II CCA (2^nd Team), the ABCA/Rawlings (2^nd Team), and the NCBWA (3^rd Team, Honorable Mention). As one of the CACC's top defensive teams, Chestnut Hill College's pitching staff benefitted. matching the program's single-season mark of nine complete games.

For many reasons, the 2017 season was a significant one for Chestnut Hill College as it not only marked the 10^th anniversary of the baseball program, but it was also served as the Griffins' fourth season of 20 wins or more, seventh CACC Championship Tournament appearance in the last eight seasons, and third CACC Championship appearance in the last five seasons. The Scarlet and Gold flirted with NCBWA East Region Rankings - reaching as high as #10 on March 7 and receiving votes on April 10 and April 24 – before finishing the season at 24-21-1 overall and 13-10 in the CACC.

In 2016, Chestnut Hill College combated a highly-competitive schedule and routinely received votes in the NCBWA East Region poll with increased offense, a pair of quality starters, and a magnificent bullpen effort. The result was a 25-21 overall record, a 14-6 league standing, and a sixth CACC Championship Tournament appearance in the last seven seasons. A record six Griffins garnered All-CACC Second Team status in the process.

A special class of seniors made the 2015 Chestnut Hill College baseball campaign unforgettable, a thrilling journey that stands as one of the best seasons in College history. Establishing program records for overall wins (29) and CACC wins (15); the Griffins employed a potent mixture of their trademark aggressive base-running, consistent pitching, and a balanced lineup to challenge top-seeded Wilmington University for the league crown. Unfortunately, the #3 Griffins saw their season come to an end in a highly dramatic 10-9, 12-inning slugfest for the ages. The Griffins garnered their first-ever NCBWA ranking (#9) on March 23 and they remained in the poll for the rest of the season, finishing a program-best sixth in the region’s final standings. Until 2015, the 2014 campaign stood as the Griffins’ most successful regular season, finishing in a tie for third place (17-18, 12-8 CACC) in the conference and hosting their first-ever CACC playoff game.

In 2013, as the sixth seed in the CACC Championship Tournament, Chestnut Hill College first survived #3 Concordia College (NY) in an 8-6 victory, before advancing to the double-elimination round, at Wilmington University’s Wilson Field and Frawley Stadium. The Griffins dominated #2 Dominican College in a 10-1 victory on the first day of double-elimination play before splitting the next day’s competitions with #5 Felician College, a 13-6 win, and Wilmington University, a 10-0 loss, for the right to face the Wildcats for the league championship. But, the two-time defending CACC champions prevailed with a 15-0 victory.
 
2011 saw the graduation of the Griffins' inaugural class and a second straight trip to the CACC postseason. For a second consecutive season, the Griffins finished the regular season with a 16-22 record, this time posting a 10-10 CACC mark. They ranked third in stolen bases (92), fifth in runs scored (183), and sixth in batting average (.243, 295-for-1,216). The Griffins averaged 2.42 stolen bases-per-game to rank 13th nationally. 
 
In 2010, the Griffins reached their first CACC Tournament with an 11-9 league record and a 16-22 overall standing. The team ranked fourth nationally in double-plays per game (1.11) and stolen bases per game (2.87), while also ranking first in the CACC in stolen bases (109), third in team batting average (.274), and fourth in team slugging percentage (.375).

At Penn State-Abington, Coach Spratt resurrected a baseball program that had been inoperative for 15 years. He served as head coach for eight seasons, 1997-2004, and earned Coach of the Year honors from the Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference (CCAC) in 2002 and 2003. Under Spratt, the Nittany Lions made seven straight playoff appearances, won five CCAC Eastern Conference Championships, and a CCAC Championship in 2003. Spratt also led Penn State-Abington to three appearances in the Eastern Pennsylvania Community College Conference (EPCCC) finals. Spratt left Penn State-Abington with a 104-83 overall record, a mark of 49-22 in the CCAC, and a 72-46 record in the EPCCC. Coach Spratt also managed the dugout at Delaware Valley College in 1996 as an assistant coach and served as head coach at William Tennent High School in the spring of 2000.

Spratt graduated from Delaware Valley College in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice after leading the Aggies on the diamond as a four-year starter and captain. He earned his master's degree in education at Bloomsburg University in 2003.
 
Spratt currently owns and operates Total Skills Baseball, which provides camps, clinics, and individual instruction to athletes in the Philadelphia area. He currently resides in the Philadelphia area with his wife, Melanie, and their four children, Thomas, Abigail, Theodore, and Emily.