Hays Post Sports
PITTSBURG - Pittsburg State University has announced that baseball coach Bob Fornelli has disclosed his intention to retire from his position at the end of the 2025 season.
Fornelli, who has guided Pitt State to a 39-10 overall record this season, became just the fourth active NCAA Division II head coach to reach 1,100 career victories in the Gorillas' win vs. Northeastern State on Mar. 30. Fornelli has a 1,117-493 (.694) record in 29 years as a collegiate coach, including a 212-114 (.650) mark in seven seasons at the Pitt State helm.
Fornelli came to Pitt State from MIAA rival Emporia State where he fashioned a 599-266 (.692) record in 15 seasons leading his alma mater (2004-18). Fornelli guided the Hornets to 13 trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, two appearances in the D2 World Series and a national runner-up finish in 2009. He led ESU to five MIAA regular season crowns (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2017) and a pair of MIAA Tournament titles (2007, 2014).
Prior to ESU, Fornelli compiled a 306-113 (.730) record in seven seasons at Fort Hays State where he led the Tigers to four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles and six NCAA Tournament appearances, including a berth in the D2 national championship game in 2000. He remains the winningest head coach in FHSU program history. He was a 2011 inductee into the Tigers Sports Hall of Fame.
Prior to his tenure at FHSU, Fornelli served as pitching coach at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., from 1992-96. The Grizzlies posted a 195-86 (.694) record during his five seasons on staff, finishing third at the NJCAA World Series in 1994.
A Lenexa, Kan., native, Fornelli earned honorable mention All-Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) honors as a catcher for ESU his senior season. He played two seasons at Butler Community College before joining the Hornets.
Fornelli earned a bachelor's degree in general studies from ESU in 1991. He is married to the former Jill Harris of Madison, Kan. The couple has three adult daughters: Emma, Rylie and Addison.