St. John's University Athletics
Softball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- guerrier@stjohns.edu
- Phone:
- 6149
Bob Guerriero enters his third campaign as head coach of the St. John's Softball team in 2021 and ninth season with the program overall. He took over as head coach in January 2019, becoming the 10th head coach in history after his predecessor Amy Kvilhaug stepped down in August 2018. Guerriero had spent the six prior seasons with the Red Storm as an assistant coach and associate head coach upon joining the team in August 2012. His role over the years has included working with the outfielders and hitters, while assisting in recruiting and administrative tasks. Prior to St. John’s, he served in the same capacity at Seton Hall University.
In his first season as head coach in 2019, Guerriero guided the Red Storm to its third BIG EAST Regular Season Championship in five seasons following a 14-4 conference record. The Johnnies finished Guerriero's inaugural season with a 26-22 record, three major conference awards, including the program's third Coaching Staff of the Year accolade, and several All-BIG EAST Team selections. Guerriero assisted the development of BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year Peyton Cody, who led the team with 45 RBIs. For second time in program history and during Guerriero's tenure with St. John's, six Johnnies were selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team.
Guerriero's second season as head coach was cut short due to COVID-19. At the time the season was stopped, the Johnnies were 8-15 overall and coming off of a 3-2 win against Fairleigh Dickinson on March 11, as well as hard-fought battles with No. 16/16 Michigan and No. 1/1 UCLA.
In his six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach with the Red Storm, Guerriero posted a 158-130-1 record. In only his third season with the Red Storm, Guerriero led St. John’s to a historic season that included the program’s first ever BIG EAST Championship title and its first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Because of those achievements, along with his development of the St. John’s offense during his three-year tenure, Guerriero was promoted to Associate Head Coach in the summer of 2015.
In 2018, Guerriero assisted the Red Storm to a program-record 62 home runs, beating the previous record of 45 set in 2012 while en route to their fifth straight BIG EAST Tournament appearance. In addition, 19 of those 62 home runs came off the bat of 2018 BIG EAST Player of the Year Krystal Puga, who topped Chrissy Montez’s record of 16 set back in 2013. St. John’ finished the 2018 campaign with a 12-6 conference record along with 24 wins.
After helping guide the Johnnies to their second BIG EAST Regular Season Championship in 2017, Guerriero along with Head Coach Amy Kvilhaug and Assistant Coach Alyssa Tiumalu were named the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. The Johnnies set program-records with 17 BIG EAST wins and a .667 winning percentage on its way to reaching its fourth-straight BIG EAST title game. In addition, St. John’s matched the 1990 squad for most wins with 32 and set new single-season marks with 277 runs scored and 251 RBIs, while garnering a league-best seven players on the All-BIG EAST First and Second Team’s.
Guerriero helped direct the Red Storm to a 29-20 overall record in 2016 en route to a program record third-straight BIG EAST Championship game appearance after shutting out Villanova, 10-0, in the semifinals. That season, the Johnnies coached a pair of position players to all-BIG EAST honors in Savannah Warren (First Team) and Brittany Garcia (Second Team), while Warren also garnered a spot on the NFCA Division I All-Great Lakes Region Third Team.
During a historical 2015 season, the Red Storm set the program’s single-season record in batting average (.317) and walks (152), breaking the then-record of .276 from the season just before. Offensively, the Red Storm led the conference in average (.317) and on-base percentage (.396), was second in slugging percentage (.480), hits (395) and RBI (224) and third in runs scored (243). In BIG EAST play, the Red Storm finished the year batting .349 with 27 doubles, five triples and 19 home runs while driving in 111 runs. Because of the Red Storm’s historic success, Guerriero and the rest of the St. John’s staff were named the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, another program first.
In 2014, Guerriero helped tie a program record .276 batting average on the way to the first ever BIG EAST Softball Championship in St. John’s history. Over its 51 games, the St. John’s starting four outfielders only committed 10 errors in 159 chances while recording 140 putouts and nine assists.
In his first season with St. John’s, the Red Storm finished with a .249 team batting average, .373 slugging percentage, and .310 on-base percentage. Four members of the 2013 squad finished the season with a .340 average or better while Montez became the new St. John’s home run leader with 16 at the time.
During his time with the Pirates, Guerriero directed and implemented infield and outfield strategies, worked with the pitchers as required, assisted the head coach in all aspects, served as a base coach and performed several other vital administrative functions that helped SHU to five BIG EAST Championship appearances, including titles in 2004 and 2005.
During his early years at Seton Hall, Guerriero also served as the Coach and President of the Girls Softball League of Westfield in Westfield, N.J. From 1992-2004 he served as the Parkway Invitational Softball League Director, coaching several travel team squads during that time.
After a four-year career as a starting pitcher at Kean University - where he served as captain and was an All-NJAC honorable mention - Guerriero played three summers of semi-professional baseball.
