Caldwell University Athletics Welcomes Back Hasani Whitfield ‘05 to Lead the Baseball Program

CALDWELL, N.J.- Caldwell University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Mark A. Corino has announced the hiring of Hasani Whitfield ’05 as the next baseball head coach. Whitfield was a standout four-year player for the Cougars and was inducted into the Caldwell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Hasani back to the Caldwell family to lead our baseball program,” said Corino. “We are fortunate to add someone to our department who has consistently exhibited great leadership qualities. We are looking for him to enhance our program in all facets. With his head coaching experience, we believe that he will do a great job recruiting quality student-athletes to our institution and reconnecting with our baseball alumni from the past.”

Whitfield comes to Caldwell after serving as the Head Baseball Coach at Union County College for the past 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 homeruns, 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.

“It means a lot to be able to return to my alma mater as the Head Coach of a program that is very special to me,” said Whitfield. “I’m grateful to Mr. Corino, the Athletic Department and everyone involved in the process. I look forward to working with the current players and alumni to energize the program.”

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 the top-five program history in homeruns, 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.