BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Josh Santerre, a former standout pitcher at Manhattan College, has been named a part-time assistant baseball coach at the University of Vermont. Head coach Bill Currier made the announcement today.

"Josh has the potential to be an excellent coach based on his outstanding college career and professional experience," said Currier. "We are confident at he will gain immediate respect and rapport with our student-athletes. His baseball accomplishments and work ethic are what many of players are striving to achieve. Josh will provide guidance for our large incoming class of pitchers this season."

Santerre, who will be the UVM pitching coach, replaces Jim Farrell '81 on the Vermont coaching staff. After a year with the Catamounts, Farrell returns to private business.

"We really appreciate Jim's great work over the past season," said Currier. "He was a Hall of Fame player when he was an undergrad so it was great to see him give something back to the program. Jim's baseball knowledge was a real asset to the staff."

A native of Essex Junction, Vt., Santerre is a 2007 graduate of Manhattan where he had an outstanding four-year career in the Jaspers' rotation starting a school-record 48 games. A second team All-MAAC starting pitcher as a senior, he finished his career ranked among the school's all-time single season leaders in victories, complete games, innings pitched, and strikeouts. In 2006, he was the winning pitcher in the title game of the MAAC Championship and defeated San Francisco in the NCAA Regionals in Lincoln, Neb.

Santerre signed with the Kansas City Royals organization in June of 2007 and pitched for its Arizona Rookie League affiliate that summer. After his release from the Royals in the spring of 2008, he was the pitching coach for the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League this past summer. The Mountaineers pitching staff had the second lowest earned run average in the NECBL in 2008.

Prior to attending Manhattan, Santerre was a standout at nearby Essex High School leading the Hornets to the 2002 Vermont Division I Baseball Championship as a senior at UVM's Centennial Field.

Santerre is the second new member of the Vermont coaching staff joining Mike Cole '01, who returned to UVM in July after serving four years as an assistant at Manhattan.