Sport(s) College baseball Record 523–229 1991–1996 Butler CC (Pitching) Position Catcher | Title Head Coach 1988–1991 Emporia State 1996–2003 Fort Hays State Annual salary 85,716 USD | |
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Born August 9, 1966 (age 50)
Lenexa, Kansas ( 1966-08-09 ) Team coached Emporia State Hornets baseball Conference Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | ||
Robert "Bob" Fornelli (born August 9, 1966) is an American college baseball coach and has been the head baseball coach at Emporia State University since the start of the 2004 season. Under Fornelli's leadership, the Hornets have made 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament, 2 World Series appearances and a national runner-up finish. Fornelli was the coach at Fort Hays State from 1996–2003.
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Early years
After graduating from Emporia State in 1991 and playing four years at Emporia State, Fornelli spent five seasons as Butler County Community College's pitching coach.
Fort Hays State
In 1996, Fornelli became head coach of the Fort Hays State Tigers. During his seven years, Fornelli compiled a 306–113 record. In 2003, the Tigers won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season and postseason tournament titles. Fornelli is the winningest coach in FHSU history and led the Tigers to the RMAC championship four times in his seven years. Fornelli led FHSU to the NCAA Division II national championship game in 2000 and was in the NCAA regional tournament six times.
Emporia State
In May 2003, Fornelli left Fort Hays State for his alma mater. former Emporia State player under Embery, was named the head coach. Since 2004, Fornelli has taken the Hornets to the NCAA Tournament 10 times, have made 2 World Series appearances and a national runner-up finish in 2009. The Hornets finished the 2006 season by winning the MIAA Regular Season Championship and NCAA Central Region Championship, as well as advancing to the school's first NCAA World Series appearance.
In 2009 the Hornets advanced to the school's first NCAA national championship game in Cary, North Carolina. In 2014, the Hornets won the MIAA Tournament, and earned another trip to the NCAA Tournament. In 2016, Fornelli picked up his 800th overall win.