Chris Reardon completed his tenth season as head coach of the Queens College baseball team in 2023, and his 18th overall as a collegiate coach after previously enjoying a lengthy period at Caldwell University. Reardon also serves as Assistant Facilities Coordinator.
Reardon led the Knights to a historic season in 2023 as the Knights finished the year with a program-best 34-19 overall record which included winning the East Coast Conference Championship with a sweep over 2x defending champions Molloy University on May 13 as the Knights ended a 25-year drought without a Championship and NCAA Tournament Appearance.
On May 19, Reardon and the Knights earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament victory as Queens defeated Felician University 7-4.
Queens earned a program-best seven ECC All-Conference honors including back-to-back Rookie of the Year honors and a program-best Three All-Region honors from the D2CCA, NCBWA, and ABCA/Rawlings.
The 2022 season saw the Knights finish with an overall record of 26-17 (highest since 1998), and a 15-6 record in ECC play as they finished second in the conference standings, the highest win total and finish in program history since the 1998 season. The Knights advanced to the ECC championship for the first time since the 1998 season.
Queens saw six players earn All-Conference honors including freshman Marc Cicso being the Rookie & Player of the Year. Reardon was named Co-Coach of the Year. Cisco and Lou Antos earned All-Region honors from D2CAA, NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings. Cisco would become the first Knight to earn All-American status since Reardon's former team Justin Davies was named an All-American in 1998 as he finished the year ranked 11th in the nation holding a .435 batting average.
The 2021 season saw Reardon guide the Knights to qualify for the East Coast Conference playoffs for the second consecutive season in a row. Going 14-13 in a truncated season the Knights went 12-9 in ECC play that was highlighted by three straight conference wins to end the season to qualify for postseason. Reardon’s team also saw some individual success as four Knights players were named to the 2021 All-ECC teams, including rookie Reed Hoskins. Hoskins had a breakout campaign as he led the team in a number of categories which included batting average, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. These numbers led to him being named the first Knights player ever to be named to an NCBWA All-Region team, and the first Knights player under Reardon since 2016 to be voted on the D2CCA All-East Region team.
Reardon won his 100th game with the Knights in 2019, a season for the ages in the annals of Queens College baseball. The squad went 25-24-1 on the year with a 14-14 record in East Coast Conference play. The best season for the Knights since the 1998 NYCAC Championship---that Reardon was a key member of back in his playing days---also culminated in the squad's first East Coast Conference Tournament berth in 21 seasons. Reardon guided five players to All-ECC nominations including rookie outfielder Jon Strauss, who was also an Honorable Mention in the East Region by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Strauss finished the year with a .358 batting average and had the most triples (7) in a single season while finishing four hits shy of tying Justin Davies' 1998 program-record of 76 hits in a single season. Under Reardon's guidance, Louis Antos set a new single-season doubles record (22) and Dennis Buckstein recorded 89 strikeouts to establish himself with the most strikeouts in a single season in program history as well.
Reardon's Knights went 16-27 in 2018 with a 5-19 mark in East Coast Conference play. The Knights emerged victorious in four of their last six games of the season, including a come-from-behind victory in the season finale over NYIT 9-8. Reardon's squad posted a number of key victories in 2018, including a 13-7 victory over the eventual Mountain East Conference champion, Shepherd University and a 10-6 triumph at St. Thomas Aquinas, who lost in the NCAA Division II East Regional. Pitcher Dennis Buckstein earned an All-ECC Second Team honor.
Reardon led the Knights to an 18-23 overall mark and 10-15 ECC record in 2017. The Knights' 10 conference wins were their most since the 2013 season. Queens won seven of its final 11 games on the season to make a late playoff push. Over the course of the season, Queens knocked off No. 12 Franklin Pierce and two wins over NCAA East Region Champion St. Thomas Aquinas, which finished third at the College World Series. Pitcher Joe Broderick earned first team All-ECC and NCBWA all-region honors.
A Queens College graduate, Reardon returned to his alma mater in August 2013 following previous stints at the aforementioned Caldwell University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and St. John’s University. While playing for the Knights baseball team and head coach Ed Tatarian during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, Reardon was tremendously successful, pitching for the top-ranked team in the region in 1998 and leading the team to a 29-9 overall record in addition to being selected to the All-Conference team that same year.
At the conclusion of his playing career, Reardon moved to the coaching ranks, accepting a volunteer position on head coach Ed Blankmeyer’s staff at St. John’s. With the Red Storm, Reardon assisted in all areas for a team that finished the 2000 season 31-22 and 13-13 in Big East play.
Reardon’s time at St. John’s propelled him to the head coaching position at Division II Caldwell University in New Jersey. During his eight seasons in charge, the Cougars won 176 games, were two-time champions of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference in 2004 and 2008, and made three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Reardon also coached 37 All-Conference selections at Caldwell and spearheaded the Cougars to finish first in the conference in batting average and team earned run average in 2007 and 2008.
After Caldwell, Reardon returned to the Division I level spending two seasons as the pitching coach at NJIT before coaching at Boonton High School in New Jersey. He also spent a year as manager of the Jersey Pilots in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. Outside of the dugout, Reardon directed the prestigious New Jersey Super 17 program in Flemington, which develops some of the top players in the state and surrounding area.
Reardon graduated from Queens College in 1998 with a degree in History. He is married to his wife, Stephanie, and is the father to two daughters, Madison Faith and Remi Ann.
Chris Reardon’s Career Head Coaching Results:
2001-2008 (at Caldwell)
2001: 12-20, 6-10 CACC
2002:15-22, 10-6 CACC (CACC Finals)
2003: 22-13, 12-4 CACC (CACC Finals, CACC Coach of the Year)
2004: 28-16, 9-7 CACC (CACC Tournament Championship + NCAA Regional Appearance)
2005: 22-20, 14-7 CACC (CACC Tournament Appearance)
2006: 18-23, 11-14 CACC
2007: 25-15, 11-5 CACC (CACC Tournament + NCAA Regional + CACC Coach of the Year)
2008: 34-19, 19-8 CACC (CACC Tournament Championship + NCAA Regional Appearance)
Caldwell Record (Eight Seaons) 176-148 (.543)
2014-Present (at Queens)
2014: 10-24, 5-19 ECC
2015: 13-22, 9-15 ECC
2016: 22-26, 9-15 ECC
2017: 18-23, 10-15 ECC
2018: 16-27, 5-19 ECC
2019: 25-24-1, 14-14 ECC (ECC Tournament Appearance)
2020: 4-8* Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021: 14-13, 12-9 ECC (ECC Tournament Appearance)
2022: 26-17, 15-6 ECC (ECC Championship Game Appearance, ECC Co-Coach of the Year)
2023: 34-19, 13-9 ECC (ECC Champions & NCAA Tournament Appearance)
Queens Record (10 Seasons) 182-203-1 (.473)
Overall Career Record (18 Seasons) 358-351-1 (.504)
