Newark Athletics

New Brunswick Athletics

Bob Diepold, John Wink, Mike Roth

Bob Diepold

Bob Diepold returns to the Scarlet Raptors for his fifth year as an assistant coach, following a standout playing career at Rutgers-Camden. In addition to serving as the first base coach, Diepold works with the infielders, teaches base running techniques, assists with pitchers, recruiting duties and helps handle the JV program.

Diepold joined the coaching staff in 2002 after a sterling senior season in 2001, when he was named to the All-New Jersey Athletic Conference First Team, All-ECAC Metro First Team, All-NJCBA Div. II/III Second Team, All-ABCA Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team, was tabbed the Rutgers-Camden Team MVP and earned honors as the South Jersey Baseball Coaches Association's Div. III College Player of the Year. He also played in the NJCBA Senior All-Star Game, going 1-for-4 and earning the save on the mound for the South squad.

Diepold hit .386 as a senior captain to close his career with a .335 average. He ripped 51 hits to finish with 104 career hits in 90 games. He also led the club with 12 stolen bases.

His banner season included a school-record 18-game hitting streak and 16 multi-hit games. His biggest game came in the nightcap of a doubleheader against New Jersey City April 7 when he went 4-for-5 with two runs and five RBIs. That helped him earn NJAC Player of the Week and ECAC Div. III Metro Player of the Week honors April 9 and 11, respectively. Diepold also went 2-2 on the mound with a team-leading two saves, striking out 48 batters in 50 innings.

As a junior co-captain, Diepold hit .265 and posted a 2-6 record on the mound in 2000. He led the team with a 4.22 ERA and struck out 51 batters in 49 innings.

In his first year at Rutgers-Camden, after transferring from Catawba College, Diepold finished with a .354 batting average, the seventh-highest in the NJAC. He led the team with 23 hits, a .446 slugging percentage and a .408 on-base percentage, while tying for team highs with one home run and three doubles. On the mound, he compiled a team-leading 4.96 ERA and a 1-6 record, striking out 38 batters in 36-1/3 innings. His victory was a no-hitter against St. Joseph's College March 20, 1999, a 5-0 win in which he struck out 12 and hurled the first Rutgers-Camden shutout since Rob Kurtz defeated Jersey City, 10-0, March 17, 1994. It was the first Rutgers-Camden no-hitter since Mike Townsend no-hit Drew in 1974.

Diepold's exploits earned him All-NJAC Honorable Mention in 1999. A versatile athlete, he played first base, shortstop, third base and pitcher for the Scarlet Raptors that season, making the all-conference squad as a utility player.

Diepold also was a member of the USA Athletes International Baseball team during the summer of 2000. The club traveled to Belgium and the Netherlands from July 6-17, and Diepold fired a no-hitter against the Netherlands July 13 in the Apeldoorn Baseball Series. He finished with seven strikeouts in his 12-0 victory.

A four-year baseball letterman at Camden Catholic High School under coach Bob Moffett, Diepold also earned a high school letter in football. In baseball he earned Second Team All-Olympic Conference and Most Improved Player honors in 1996. As a senior, he was named First Team All-Conference and Best Defensive Player, helping his team to the South Jersey Parochial A title. He also played on the 1997 Carpenter Cup championship team.

Diepold, who graduated from Rutgers-Camden in May, 2003 with his Sociology degree, has worked in the Sports Card Development Department for Fleer/SkyBox International, LP of Mt. Laurel. He currently works in the Rutgers-Camden Athletic Department and owns his own business, Elite Concierge LLC, a personal and corporate concierge service, based in Haddonfield.

John Wink

The Rutgers-Camden baseball team has risen to the elite ranks of the New Jersey Athletic Conference over the last several years, aided by a perennially-strong pitching staff.

The architect of that staff is pitching coach John Wink, who is entering his eighth season teaming with head coach Keith Williams.

Wink's staff turned in another outstanding performance in 2005, finishing third in the NJAC in ERA (3.80) and fifth in opponent batting average (.275). Individually, Wink's

closer Matt Novella led the NJAC with a program-record nine saves (a figure which tied for third among all NCAA Division III pitchers) and finished second in the conference by finishing 15 games.

The pitching staff's strong showing helped Rutgers-Camden post a 28-11 record in 2005, the second-highest victory total in program history.

Wink's staff was the backbone of the 2004 team as well, turning in a strong effort despite a lack of run support which led Rutgers-Camden to a 16-23-1 record. The staff

finished fourth in the NJAC in ERA (4.00), second in innings pitched (357.1) and allowed the second-fewest walks in the conference (117). The Scarlet Raptors struck out 220 batters.

Individually, staff ace Matt Ulmer finished 67th nationally among all NCAA Division III players in 2004, sporting a sparkling 2.35 ERA.

Wink's work with the pitching staff has produced amazing results. In 2003, the Raptors also placed fourth in the NJAC in ERA (4.19), while Ulmer finished third in the conference and tied for 23rd nationally with a 1.80 ERA. Jason Bates tied for second in the NJAC in shutouts (one), Mike Pizzutillo was fifth in strikeouts (56) and Novella was seventh in appearances (15).

The 2002 pitching staff led the NJAC and finished 13th nationally with a 3.37 ERA, sparking a program-record 32-10 season at Rutgers-Camden. The Raptors placed two pitchers among the NJAC's top 11 in ERA (Bates at 3.04 was sixth and Pizzutillo at 3.26 was 11th), had a pitcher tie for second in the league in wins (Mike Murphy at 8-0) and saw Dan McKenna place second in appearances (22) and tie for second with six saves. Bates also finished fifth with 77 innings pitched, tied for fourth with three complete games and was sixth by limiting opponents to a 2.33 batting average.

McKenna was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, becoming the first Rutgers-Camden pitcher (and only the program's second player overall) ever drafted.

Wink received recognition for his work during the fall of 2003 when he was honored as a recipient of the second annual AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Over 350,000 assistant coaches were nominated from around the country. Only 500 high school and college coaches, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, received the award.

Wink, who also handles recruiting duties, helped turn the program around in 2001 when his staff posted a 21-15 record and struck out 271 batters in 293-1/3 innings. It was the Raptors' first winning season since 1988. Starting with that season, the Scarlet Raptors have posted four winning seasons in the last five years.

In his seven years with the program, Wink's staff has tossed three no-hitters, including one by Bob Diepold in 1999, a perfect game by Mike Murphy in 2001 and a no-hitter by Zack Pendleton in 2002.

A 1990 graduate of Holy Cross High School, Wink pitched for the Lancers under head coach Greg Luzinski, the former Philadelphia Phillies star. As a senior he went 8-1 for the Lancers' 1988 South Jersey Parochial A championship team.

Wink continued his pitching career at Virginia Wesleyan College. A four-year varsity hurler for the Marlins, he graduated from Virginia Wesleyan in 1994 with a B.A. in Business Management.

In addition to his coaching at Rutgers-Camden, Wink also coached the New Jersey Arsenal AAU Under-16 baseball team for eight seasons, winning a pair of Mid-Atlantic Regional championships along the way. His 1998 team finished among the top 20 in the nation and his 2000 squad finished sixth nationally.

Wink lives in Delran and works as a Mid-Atlantic region sales representative for T. Furr and Associates.

 

Mike Roth

Former Rutgers-Camden outfielder Mike Roth returns for his third year with the Scarlet Raptors' coaching staff after a one-year absence in 2005. Roth, who played with the team in 2001 and 2002, also served on the Rutgers-Camden coaching staff in 2003 and 2004.

Roth, who helped Rutgers-Camden post a 53-25 record during his two seasons as a player, works with the Scarlet Raptors' outfielders and the JV program, in addition to serving as a conditioning coach.

One of the five captains who helped the 2002 Scarlet Raptors post a school-record 32-10 season, Roth hit .375 with a .444 on-base percentage. He also posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage for the second straight season. At the 2002 spring banquet, he was honored with the Billy Carty Memorial Award as the baseball team's Most Dedicated Player.

In his first year at Rutgers-Camden in 2001, Roth hit .313 and compiled a .421 on-base percentage.

Overall, Roth posted a .344 career batting average and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage at Rutgers-Camden.

In addition to his baseball talents, Roth served as the Chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Rutgers-Camden during the 2001-02 school year. He also was the school's SAAC representative in the New Jersey Athletic Conference.

A two-year baseball letterwinner at Camden County College, Roth was a member of the Gloucester Catholic High School football team, earning Unsung Hero honors as a senior. He was an Honor Roll student as a junior and a senior at Gloucester Catholic.

Roth graduated from Rutgers-Camden in May, 2003, with a B.S. in Biology.