By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western athletics announced Monday that Damian Stambersky has been promoted and named the new head baseball coach of the Griffons.
Stambersky has more than 20 years of coaching experience. He spent the 2023 season with the Griffons as the lead assistant and pitching coach.
"I'm excited to have Damian take the helm of the Griffon baseball program," Missouri Western athletic director Andy Carter said in a statement.
"He is respected on campus and in the baseball community, and his energy, enthusiasm, and experience placed him at the top of an exceptional field of candidates for this position. He is the right man to write the next chapter in the history of this program."
Stambersky's promotion comes one day after Buzz Verduzco's final game as head coach of the Griffons. It was announced before the 2023 season started that Verduzco would retire after 23 years at the helm of Missouri Western baseball.
Verduzco achieved a program-best 629 wins during his tenure. He also took the Griffons to four NCAA Tournaments and an MIAA Regular Season Championship. He was also the 2013 MIAA Coach of the Year.
"I want to thank Coach Verduzco for bringing me here a year ago, and I want to thank Andy Carter for his confidence in my ability to lead this program forward," Stambersky said. "I believe that Griffon baseball is positioned for success and I am looking forward to the road ahead."
Missouri Western baseball concluded the 2023 regular season with a 15-4 win over No. 16 Missouri Southern on Sunday in St. Joseph. The Griffons' record finished at 15-32 overall and 11-22 in the MIAA.
The Griffons finished 12th in the 14-team league, and did not advance to the MIAA tournament.
Prior to joining the Griffons this past season, Stambersky spent one year as the pitching coach at Division I Radford University, and one season as the head coach at Colorado State-Pueblo, where he guided the program to four top-25 wins.
Stambersky also spent six seasons as the pitching coach at Central Missouri. While there, the Mules advanced to two NCAA Division II College World Series appearances (2016 and 2019) and compiled an incredible 210-91 record.
The Mules captured two MIAA regular-season titles, made three appearances in the NCAA tournament, and captured three MIAA tournament titles during his tenure.
Before Central Missouri, Stambersky spent 11 seasons coaching at Kansas City Community College as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. While there, he coached nine players to Division I opportunities as well as four players who would move on to play professionally.