Mike Gottlieb has been associated with the Towson baseball program for nearly four decades.
Gottlieb came to Towson as a player, before joining Bill Hunter’s staff as an assistant coach.
He took over as the Tigers head coach prior to the 1988 season. Since taking over, Gottlieb has led Towson to 713 victories, three conference tournament championships and three trips to the NCAA Tournament.
He has averaged nearly 25 victories per season over his tenure. To put that in perspective, the school-record for victories prior to his arrival was 26.
The Early Years
Gottlieb made an immediate impact in his first season as head coach, leading the Tigers to their first appearrance in the NCAA Tournament. He guided Towson to a 30-17-1 record, including capturing the East Coast Conference regular season championship with a 12-2 record.
The Tigers swept through the ECC Tournament to win their first tournament championship. For his efforts, Gottlieb was selected as the ECC Coach of the Year and NCAA Regional Coach of the Year.
In their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers fell, 3-0, to eventual College World Series participant Miami, before rebounding for a 5-1 victory over VCU.
Three years later, Gottlieb led the Tigers to their second ECC Tournament championship and the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers opened the tournament with a loss to Mississippi State before rebounding for a 5-0 victory over Princeton. The victory over Princeton was significant as it marked the 100th victory in Gottlieb’s career.
Gottlieb would lead the Tigers to another 30-win season in 1992, their final year in the ECC.
The CAA Era
After a down year in 2004, Gottlieb doubled the team’s win total in a 34-24 season in 2005. The Tigers got better as the season progressed, winning 17 of their final 24 games.
The Tigers offense featured an explosive offense that led the country with 105 home runs. The lineup was led by Second-Team All-Americans Jason Maxey (23 home runs) and Casper Wells (17 home runs).
Wells, who is the only Tiger to earn CAA Player of the Year honors, would go on to be drafted in the 14th round by the Detroit Tigers.
Shortstop Shane Justis would be selected in the 21st round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the fourth time in the Gottlieb era that two Tigers were drafted in the same draft.
The 2005 season also marked the first time the Tigers had reached the championship game of the CAA Tournament. Towson overcame an opening-round loss to knock off regular-season champions UNCW and Delaware on their way to the title game.
Towson would enjoy another 30-win season in 2008, advancing to the CAA Tournament championship game for the second time. The Tigers again overcame an opening-round loss to battle through the losers bracket to the championship game.
Shortstop Nick Natolli was the anchor of the Tigers defense as he became the first Tiger to be named the conference Defensive Player of the Year. He would later repeat as the award winner following the 2011 season.
The 2013 season may have been one of Gottlieb’s most rewarding campaigns as the Tigers coach.
Towson overcame adversity on and off the field to finish the regular season with a 25-28 record. The Tigers would win four-straight games to capture their first CAA Tournament championship.
The Tigers were seeded third in the Chapel Hill Regional where they knocked off No. 23 Florida Atlantic in the opening round.
The 2013 defense led the NCAA by turning 81 double plays.
Freshman Richie Palacios made an immediate impact in 2016 by setting a new single-season record for stolen bases (32), while also establishing a new freshman record for base hits (75). He became the first Tiger to earn conference Freshman of the Year honors in the Division I era.
Palacios was also a consensus Freshman All-America selection.
He was not the only Tiger that enjoyed a breakout season in 2016. Junior Brady Policelli led the CAA with a .375 average on his way to earning First-Team All-CAA honors.
Policelli would be drafted in the 13th round of the Detroit Tigers.
Under his guidance, Gottlieb has had 16 players selected in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, while a handful of other players have signed professional contracts.
Left-hander pitcher Chris Nabholz became the first Towson player under Gottlieb to make it to the majors. Nabholz made his major league debut for the Montreal Expos on June 11, 1990, after being selected by the Expos in the second round of the 1988 draft. Nabholz is still the highest drafted player in Towson history.
Casper Wells became the second player from the Gottlieb era to make it to the majors when he made his debut with the Detroit Tigers on May 15, 2010. Wells was selected by the Tigers in the 14th round of the 2005 draft.
Gottlieb is also responsible for recruiting and coaching all eight All-Americans and all three Freshman All-Americans in school history. He has also coached seven Academic All-Americans and 18 Academic All-District honorees.
The Tigers have produced at least one all-conference performer in 25-straight years under Gottlieb. That list includes four conference player’s of the year, three defensive player’s of the year, one rookie of the year and 77 all-conference selections.
Gottlieb arrived in Towson after playing two seasons at Nassau Community College. He played first base for two seasons before graduating in 1979.
After graduation, Gottlieb remained at Towson as an assistant coach for Bill Hunter. Gottlieb spent seven years as an assistant under Hunter.
When Hunter stepped down in 1988 to become the Director of Athletics, Gottlieb was immediately tabbed as his successor.
Gottlieb currently resides in the Towson area.
