LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Director of Athletics Peter Casey has signed Nick Barese to a multi-year contract as the next head coach of the River Hawk baseball program. Barese spent the last two seasons as the top assistant for the team after serving as head coach at Merrimack for seven years.
 
"I am thrilled to announce Nick Barese as the next head coach of our UMass Lowell baseball program," said Casey. "I believe that his prior track record of success as a head coach in the region, coupled with his experiences here in Lowell for the last two seasons have positioned him well to take the helm and hit the ground running. I know he will continue to move our program forward and I'm excited for the future of River Hawk baseball."
 
In two years with the River Hawks, Barese has helped guide the program to its first America East Conference Championship game since joining the league in 2014. He has coached eight All-Conference players, including First Team pitcher Josh Becker, All-Tournament Team Matt Draper, and four All-Rookie Team selections. In 2022, his pitching staff led virtually every statistical category in the conference, including earned run average, opponent batting average, runs allowed and walks allowed. The 2022 pitching staff notched 444 strikeouts, and 509.2 innings pitched, both of which stand as River Hawk program records.
 
"I can't thank Peter Casey and Chancellor Chen enough for this opportunity," explained Barese. "UMass Lowell has felt like home since I first stepped foot on campus a short time ago. I'm looking forward to developing a winning culture on and off the field, and fostering relationships with the alumni and Lowell communities. I'm confident that we will accomplish great things and I'm excited to get to work."
 
During Barese's tenure as Merrimack's head coach, the team reached unprecedented success on the field, accumulating a 153-129 overall record (.543%). A NEIBA Division II Coach of the Year award winner, he reached 100 wins faster than any coach in program history and is currently second on the all-time wins list. With the Warriors, he coached 30 All-Conference selections, 19 All-Region selections, six Academic All-District recipients, a Conference Player of the Year award winner, the 2018 Rawlings/ABCA Gold Glove award winner, and two MLB draft picks. Merrimack joined the Northeast Conference in 2021 and made an immediate impact, winning five of nine conference series. The team also had multiple out of conference wins, including a 7-5 victory over ACC opponent Boston College.
 
Barese capped off a run of four straight postseason appearances to start his tenure, culminating with a NE10 Championship in 2018 and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It marked the program's first conference title of any kind since 1999 and first tournament crown since 1996. The victory delivered the program its fourth NE10 Tournament title overall. The NCAA Tournament berth snapped a 19-year drought from the East Regional for the program and Barese became just the third head coach in school history to guide the program to the national tournament.
 
Prior to Merrimack, Barese served in the same capacity at his alma mater, Saint Anselm College. He is a 2008 graduate of Saint Anselm where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. He then earned his Master of Science in Sport Science and Recreation from Ohio University in May of 2014. He was a four-year member of both the Hawks' football and baseball teams, serving as team captain with each program.
 
Barese has also enjoyed summer collegiate baseball coaching stints, serving as the head coach of the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in both 2012 and 2013.
 
A native of Braintree, Mass., Barese currently lives in Manchester, N.H. with his family.