For Dan Briand, the last six months have been pretty crazy to say the least.
In April, Briand, who coached the Anna Maria baseball team for nine years, found out the college would close at the end of the semester due to declining enrollment and financial struggles.
Briand guided the AmCats to a program-record 25 wins and, on May 7, he coached the final athletics contest in the college’s history, his team’s loss to Westfield State in the MASCAC tournament, before looking for a new job.
Northern Essex Community College hired Briand as its baseball coach and assistant athletic director. Briand was getting things rolling there when the WPI position became available in September.
On Oct. 15, WPI announced Briand’s hiring.
“It was a strange confluence of events the way it all unfolded,” Briand said, “but at the end of the day, it feels like I’m where I belong now and it felt like a natural fit the whole way through.”
Briand, a Northbridge native and resident and a Becker graduate, is thrilled to return to Central Mass.
“The greatest part of all of this,” Briand said, “is being back home.”
At WPI, Briand succeeds Brendan Casey, who departed after four seasons to become the coach at Wheaton.
Briand led a resurgence at Anna Maria, and last season he became just the fourth coach in AMC history (all sports) to reach 150 career victories. He finished as the baseball program’s all-time wins (163) leader.
“Dan’s excitement about now leading our program is contagious,” WPI director of athletics Dana Harmon said. “Coach Briand’s tenure as head coach at Anna Maria demonstrated a commitment to competitive excellence while prioritizing the academic experience of his student-athletes – hallmarks of a program he will bring to WPI. We look forward to his leadership as he helps our student-athletes excel in competition, in the classroom and in the community.”
Briand’s Anna Maria teams went 3-2 against WPI. Even though the schools were only 7 miles apart, most of those games were played in Florida.
Briand started at WPI last week and met with returning players individually and as a group.
“It’s great getting to know these guys,” Briand said. “They are really intelligent kids and great people. I’m excited to get to work with them.”
The Engineers are coming off a 15-22 season.
“We have the path to be really competitive here and I think we’ll be able to turn it around pretty quick,” Briand said. “I think the record doesn’t indicate the level of talent that’s already here.”
WPI tabs Barton for softball job
WPI hired Katelyn Barton, who guided Clark to 30 wins over the last two seasons, as its new softball coach.
Barton, who played at Wheaton, was previously a graduate assistant at Smith.
“Katelyn’s knowledge, energy and enthusiasm for coaching while leading young women came through in our search process,” WPI director of athletics Dana Harmon said, “and we look forward to her leadership.”Barton succeeds Heather Ross, who coached WPI for five successful seasons, and, in 2022, led the Engineers to their first NCAA Division 3 College World Series appearance. Ross is now the Tufts coach.
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'It feels like I’m where I belong now': Northbridge's Briand named WPI baseball coach