Hasani Whitfield ’05 was hired as the Caldwell University baseball head coach in May 2018 and returns for his sixth season leading the Cougars in 2024. Whitfield was a standout four-year player for the Cougars and was inducted into the Caldwell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
Last season, Whitfield led the program to its most wins (17) since 2009. His team earned five CACC All-Academic Team honors and had five Academic-All District selections. Catcher Kyle Richards signed a professional contract and played with the Sussex County Miners during the summer.
The Cougars won 15 games each in both 2021 and 2022 as Whitfield continues to rebuild the program. In 2021, Whitfield helped lead the Cougars to their first post season victory since 2008 for their first CACC Tournament semifinals appearance since their 2008 championship season.
In his first year, 2019, Whitfield guided the Cougars to their highest win total since 2011 as they finished the season with a 15-27 overall record, earning the CACC Team Sportsmanship Award.
Whitfield returns to Caldwell after serving as the Head Baseball Coach at Union County College for two seasons. While leading the program, Whitfield had three All-Region players for the first time in 10 years in NJCAA Region 19. In addition, the 2018 team ranked third all-time in home runs, and his teams finished in the top-20 in the nation for stolen bases the past two seasons. He previously worked as the assistant coach at Union CC from 2012-16. In four seasons as the assistant coach, he was the primary hitting coach and worked with the outfielders.
Whitfield is the current co-owner of Gamers Academy that he co-founded in 2012. Gamers is dedicated to teaching fundamentals to youth players to ensure they succeed on and off the field.
Whitfield was an outstanding hitter on some of Caldwell’s best teams, ranking among the all-time leaders in several categories during his time on the diamond from 2002-05. He was selected Central Atlantic College Conference Player of the Year as a senior. Whitfield was a three-time CACC All-Conference selection as well as two-time ACBA/Rawlings Northeast All Region honoree in 2004 and 2005. His teams also were successful, as the Cougars won their first CACC regular-season title in 2003 and captured the 2004 conference tournament title to advance to the NCAA Division II Northeast Region Tournament for the first time.
In 2003, Whitfield had one of the most successful seasons not only in Caldwell history but in CACC history. As a sophomore, he ended the season with a .462 batting average, which placed him seventh in nation for Division II. Whitfield ended his career as the all-time career hits leader and currently ranks in among the leaders in program history in home runs, RBI, hits, doubles, triples and stolen bases.
Whitfield earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Caldwell in criminal justice with a minor in psychology in 2005.
Whitfield File
|
Overall |
|
|
CACC |
|
|
| Year |
Wins |
Losses |
|
Wins |
Losses |
Postseason |
| 2019 |
15 |
27 |
|
12 |
20 |
CACC Team Sportsmanship Award |
| 2020 |
0 |
7 |
|
0 |
0 |
Season Cut Short Due to COVID-19 Pandemic |
| 2021 |
15 |
15 |
|
12 |
12 |
CACC Tournament Semifinals |
| 2022 |
15 |
25 |
|
9 |
16 |
|
| 2023 |
17 |
24 |
|
10 |
15 |
|
| 2024 |
10 |
26 |
|
9 |
14 |
CACC Tournament First Round |
| Total |
72 |
124 |
|
50 |
77 |
|
