CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University Director of Athletics Jen Benway has announced Billy Cather as the new head baseball coach for the Lynx. A former four-year standout at the University of Maine, Cather served as an Assistant Coach for the Black Bears for the past four years.
"We are very excited to add Billy to our staff," said Benway. "We feel he is a coach that can help push our baseball program forward and continue to develop our student-athletes both on and off the field. As a former Division-I player and coach, he has an extensive baseball background and an infectious passion for the game. We are confident that Billy will continue the upward trend we have seen in our baseball program in recent years and make an impression on the program immediately."
In his final year on staff, Cather helped lead the University of Maine to an America East regular season title while leading the conference in nearly every offensive category as the team hit .305, slugged 117 doubles and 25 home runs, stole 95 bases, and averaged over six runs per game. Following the season, Black Bears short stop Mike Fransoso (Pirates) and catcher Mike Connolly (Giants) were both drafted in the 27th round of Major League Baseball's First Year Player Draft.
During the 2010-2011 campaign, Cather and the Black Bears won the America East Championship and proceeded to upset #20 Florida International University in the NCAA Tournament in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Also in 2011, he mentored Taylor Lewis, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2011 America East Tournament and was drafted in the 10th round of the MLB Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Throughout his four years as a coach, Maine had seven players drafted in the MLB Entry Draft, averaged 33 wins per season, and earned a spot in the conference tournament each year, while making three appearances in the championship series.
In addition to his time with the Black Bears, Cather has also served as a speaker at the Mohegan Sun World Baseball Coaches' Convention in 2012 and served as Director of the Northeast Select College Prospect Tournament which consistent of 75 teams from across the Northeast.
Cather also has an impressive playing resume as he played for Maine for four years before being drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 33rd round of the MLB Entry Draft.
Cather saw action in 193 career games for Maine, starting 179, mostly in centerfield. He served as a captain for the Black Bears during the 2009 season and was a two-time America East Second Team honoree. In 2007, he also earned a spot on the America East All-Tournament Team. He finished his career with a .323 batting average. He scored 146 career runs with 31 doubles, 13 home runs to go along with a pair of triples. He drove in 100 career runs and stole 60 bases over four years.
During the summer of 2010, Cather played for the Worcester Tornadoes and former Red Sox great and current minor league coach, Rich Gedman. He saw action in 62 games where he hit .302 with 31 runs scored and 22 RBI. He had 14 doubles to go along with three home runs. He also won back-to-back New England Collegiate Baseball League Championships with the Vermont Mountaineers in the summers of 2007 and 2008.
Cather graduated in December 2009 with a degree in marketing and a minor in child development. He was named a Maine Scholar-Athlete Award winner and also named to the America East Academic Honor Roll.