Slippery Rock Baseball Camps

William Messer | Assistant Head Coach / Recruiting Coordinator

Associate Head Coach / Recruiting Coordinator William Messer enters his 11th season as the top assistant for the Slippery Rock University baseball team in 2023.

In addition to serving as The Rock’s recruiting coordinator associate head coach, Messer oversees strength and conditioning, works with hitters and infielders and is SRU’s third base coach. Prior to embarking on his coaching career, Messer was standout student-athlete for The Rock for four seasons.

CAREER AT A GLANCE

• Since joining the coaching staff prior to the 2013 season, Messer has helped to lead The Rock to eight winning seasons, a 233-187 (.555) overall record with six trips to the postseason.
• Has coached 51 All-PSAC West selections including two PSAC West Athlete of the Year honorees in Will Kengor (2014) and Tyler Walters (2018) as well as three PSAC West Freshman of the Year award winners: Walters (2015), Abraham Mow (2018) and Ethan Edkins (2022).
• Six Slippery Rock student-athletes have also earned All-America recognition during Messer’s tenure in Kengor, Walters, Adam Urbania, Joe Campagna, Jon Kozarian and Connor Hamilton.
• Messer has also coached four SRU MLB draft picks and over a dozen players that have signed independent league contracts after playing at The Rock.
• Off the field, Slippery Rock baseball has compiled a team GPA of at least 3.0 every season over the last decade with three student-athletes going on to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team.

COACHING TIMELINE

• 2010 (Summer): Slippery Rock Sliders (assistant)
• 2011-12: Virginia (Director of Baseball Operations)
• 2013-22: Slippery Rock (Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator)
• 2022-Present: Slippery Rock (Associate Head Coach / Recruiting Coordinator) 

CAREER PATH

• Messer began his collegiate coaching career as the Director of Baseball Operations at the University of Virginia, a traditional NCAA Division I baseball powerhouse, for two seasons in 2011 and 2012.
• While at Virginia, Messer helped guide the Cavaliers to a 95-31-1 record, two appearances in the NCAA Tournament, one ACC Tournament title, one ACC Coastal Division championship and one trip to the College World Series.
• At Virginia, Messer had a wide range of responsibilities as he was involved in every aspect of the program. He served as the team's travel coordinator and assisted with all aspects of game day operations and on-campus recruiting.
• Messer left UVA following the 2012 season to return his alma mater.

ATHLETIC CAREER

• As a player, Messer was a four-year starter at second base for the Green and White.
• In 181 career games played, 180 of which were starts, Messer hit .317 (197-for-621) with 107 runs scored, nine home runs, 109 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
• Earned All-PSAC West honors on three occasions as well as receiving All-Atlantic Region accolades during both his junior and senior years.
• Helped to lead SRU to the PSAC Tournament four times and left college with a .631 winning percentage (123-72).
• Still ranks seventh in program history for doubles in a career (43) as well as ninth in games started (180), 10th in games played (181), 13th in hits (197) and 15th in RBI (109).
• Also served on the Slippery Rock Student-Athlete Advisory Council all four years and was the organization's treasurer his senior year.

PERSONAL

• Native of Slippery Rock.
• Earned Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Slippery Rock in 2010.
• Son of head coach Jeff Messer. 

Bob Mitcheltree | Assistant Coach

The 2020 season marked Bob Mitcheltree’s 17th year as a member of head coach Jeff Messer’s coaching staff for the Slippery Rock University baseball team.

Over his 17 years with the program, Mitcheltree has contributed to all facets of the program. He currently works with The Rock’s catchers in addition to serving as the team’s first base coach.

In his first stint at The Rock, Mitcheltree served as the team’s pitching coach for six seasons from 1999-04. He rejoined the program prior to the 2010 season and has been a fixture in the Slippery Rock dugout ever since.

In total, Mitcheltree has helped guide The Rock to a 458-318-1 record over two stints as an assistant coach. Included in the previous 16 seasons have been 12 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament appearances, one league title, four NCAA Tournament berths, two regional championships and two trips to the College World Series.

A long time fixture in the Western Pennsylvania high school and college coaching ranks, Mitcheltree has over 40 years of experience in which he has coached over 50 teams.

As head coach at Wilmington High school, his 1981 squad captured both the WPIAL and the PIAA State championships. He served as the head coach at Lakeview High School in 1977 and coached in the Youngstown Class “B” League for several summers as well.

Mitcheltree was an assistant coach with Fabulous Goldsteins when they won the 1980 Ohio Connie Mack State championship and his 1983 Buckeye Elks squad participated in the NABF world series. Mitcheltree also served as the pitching coach at Westminster College for two seasons.

Mitcheltree played collegiately at Youngstown State University under the legendary Dom Rosselli. He has scouted professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres in addition to operating his own pitching school for 15 years.

As comfortable on the gridiron as the diamond, Mitcheltree has served for over 40 years as an assistant football coach at Wilmington High School. He has helped lead the Greyhounds to the 2008 PIAA Class AA State championship, state runner-up honors in 1988, 2017, 2018 and 2020, three WPIAL titles, eight state semifinal berths and 13 District 10 football championships. His son, T.D., was named first team all-state tight end his senior year as a Greyhound.

His success has been recognized with inductions into the Lawrence County Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the North County Baseball League Hall of Fame in 2011. Mitcheltree received a 25-year coaching award from the ABCA in 2003.

Mitcheltree taught in the Lakeview and Wilmington School Districts for a total of 37 years before retiring in 2009. He and his wife, Cindy, reside in New Wilmington and are the parents of two sons, T.D. (a former Rock football player) and Ryan. They have one grandson, Chase.