Luis Melendez
Luis Melendez serves as Assistant Vice President - Athletics for Monroe College, and served as Head Baseball Coach for 14 seasons. He became the second head coach in program history in 2006 after just one season serving as the program’s chief assistant. Since then, he has transformed the Monroe Mustangs baseball program into one of the top NJCAA Division I programs in the nation, while also developing the Monroe College Athletic Department into the premiere NJCAA Division I athletic program in New York and the northeast. While taking the Monroe Mustangs program to new heights over his tenure as Director of Athletics, Melendez also spearheaded the formation of the Monroe Express, an NJCAA Division III program based out of Monroe College's Bronx campus. Melendez tenure at Monroe produced an overall record of 348-258-4, and helped well more than 100 student-athletes move on to four-year programs, including numerous players drafted in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. In 2018, Melendez led the Mustangs to their first-ever Eastern District Championship, as well as their first-ever appearance to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. In 2019, the Mustangs repeated as Eastern District Champions and made it back to the Junior College World Series for the second straight season. Melendez has also led Monroe to six Region XV titles and has been named Region XV Coach of the Year six times, as well as Eastern District Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019. The Mustangs produced their first-ever NJCAA All-American in 2018 when Antonio Frias was picked to the First Team. July Sosa became the team's second NJCAA All-American in 2019, earning a spot as an Honorable Mention. Under Melendez's leadership, the Mustangs also claimed the Region XV Sportsmanship Award in both 2018 and 2019. A 1995 graduate of Dewitt Clinton HS (Bronx, NY), Melendez received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Lehman College in 1999. After a successful college career in which he was an All-Region catcher, he went on to play professionally for five years, including stints with the Quebec City Capitales, Bangor Lumberjacks, and the Schaumburg Flyers of the Northern League.
Appears in 1 Episode
A New Identity (1986-1995): Fostering Excellence in Academics and Athletics at Monroe College
In this captivating episode of '90 Years Strong: The Monroe College Story,' host David Spiegel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications, dives into the...
