The winningest coach in Northeast Conference history, head coach Dean Ehehalt returns for his 17th season at the helm of the Hawks' baseball program. Monmouth, which won its fourth NEC Championship in 2009, advancing to the NCAA Oxford Regional, recorded its third straight 30-win season.

Ehehalt, who has posted 428 career wins at Monmouth, has registered a .629 winning percentage in NEC play, while guiding his teams to a league-best 13 NEC Tournaments and nine Championship game appearances during his tenure.

In 2009, the Hawks won their second league trophy in three years, while having four players earn all-conference and 11 named to All-New Jersey teams. Led by two-time first-team all-league second baseman Chris Collazo, Monmouth earned 32 victories overall and won 15 conference contests, while junior pitchers Ryan Buch (8th - Chicago White Sox) and Brett Brach (10th - Cleveland Indians) were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, lifting the total number of players picked in Ehehalt's tenure to seven.

Monmouth, which set a new standard for wins in 2008 with 37, won its eighth regular season title a season ago, and advanced to its league-record 12th NEC Tournament.

In 2008, the Hawks won the regular season title behind a 20-5 league mark, and boasted the NEC Player of the Year in shortstop Kyle Higgins, and the NEC and NJCBA Rookie of the Year in third baseman Ryan Terry. In addition, six players were named all-conference, eight were tabbed All-New Jersey, three were named ABCA All-East and a pair were named Freshman All-Americans by two publications, including Collegiate Baseball.

The 2007 campaign was a magical one for Ehehalt and the Hawks, as Monmouth claimed its fifth Northeast Conference Championship and the program's third trip to an NCAA Regional.

Ehehalt, a three-time winner of the NEC Coach of the Year, and seven-time honoree of the NJCBA Coach of the Year, has guided the Hawks to 13 NEC tournament appearances since joining the ranks in 1994, including a league-record eight straight showings from 1998 to 2005. He also led Monmouth to nine NEC Championship games from 1998 to 2009, and NEC titles and NCAA Regional appearances in 1998, 1999, 2007 and 2009.

The Blue and White ended the 2007 season victorious in 36 contests, 17 of which came in league play. Four players were named all-league, Brad Brach was named the NEC Pitcher of the Year, while Ryan Buch was Monmouth's second straight NEC Rookie of the Year award recipient.

Despite falling short of a ninth straight NEC Tournament appearance in 2006, Ehehalt guided the Hawks to 27 wins and a program-record ERA (3.34), which ranked eighth in the nation. The Hawks also had win streaks of 10 games and 12 games during the campaign.

Ehehalt, tabbed the New Jersey Coach of the Year for the fifth time in 2006, mentored his third NEC Player of the Year in Nick Massari. Massari, the school's all-time leader in triples, was also named the NCBWA District II Player of the Year, the NJCBA Player of the Year and an ABCA All-East Region second-team member. Joining Massari at the podium was Brad Brach, who was tabbed the New Jersey Pitcher of the Year and Rick Niederhaus, the NEC Rookie of the Year.

In his tenure with the Hawks, Ehehalt has coached 57 all-conference performers, and has mentored three NEC Player of the Years, seven NEC Rookie of the Years and four NEC Pitchers of the Year.

Behind a record-setting performance from its pitching staff, the 2005 squad equaled the school-record for wins (30) and set a new single-season ERA record (4.21). En route to its eighth consecutive postseason, the Hawks also earned national recognition as they were named National Team of the Week on April 21 by College Baseball Insider in honor of its 13-game win streak.

In 2004, the Blue and White made its seventh straight postseason appearance and finished the campaign with a 22-29-1 record, its ninth 20-win season in nine years. The Hawks also added pitcher Chris Della Rocco to the list of Major League Draft selections, joining Mike St. Martine and Lance Koenig.

In 2003, the Hawks battled to yet another title game appearance and finished the season with a 24-27 mark, their eighth consecutive 20-win season, while placing five members on all-conference teams, including the Rookie of the Year, Marc Weres.

In 2002, his Hawks posted the University's second 30-win season, setting NEC records in wins (23) and winning percentage (.852), while posting a conference best 16 consecutive wins. The 2001 Hawks went 29-24 overall and won the NEC South Division with a 17-5 mark.

The skipper has posted 14 20-plus win (and six 30-plus win) seasons in West Long Branch and has led Monmouth to at least a share of eight NEC regular season titles.

Ehehalt has compiled a 449-425-2 record in his 18 years as a head coach, including a 428-387-2 mark over the past 16 seasons, making him the all-time winningest coach in Monmouth Division I history.

Ehehalt arrived at Monmouth after spending the 1992 and 1993 seasons at Upsala College where he implemented the resurgence of the Division III program. After finishing 5-22 in his first season, Ehehalt guided a predominantly freshmen squad to a 16-16 mark in his second campaign.

The Middletown, N.J., native spent the previous year as an assistant coach at Kennesaw State College in Marietta, Ga., where he was directly responsible for all aspects of defensive play and recruiting. Ehehalt spent the Fall of 1989 as an assistant coach at Princeton University where he was involved in recruiting, hitting fundamentals and outfield play. Ehehalt began his coaching career in 1988 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, East Carolina. He graduated in 1987 with a B.S. in physical education. In 1990, he earned his second degree from the school, receiving a master's in education, in the discipline of physical education.

As a senior at East Carolina, Ehehalt was named to the 1987 CAA Scholar-Athlete team. The same year, the Pirates won the league tournament championship.

Prior to his arrival at ECU, Ehehalt played two years at Brookdale Community College, where he was named first team Junior College All-Region XIX in 1984.

Besides directing baseball clinics and summer camps at Monmouth, Ehehalt has also worked camps throughout the country.

Ehehalt, who was on the NCAA Regional Baseball Advisory Committee, was named National Chair of the ABCA All-America Committee in December of 2007.

Ehehalt resides in Wall, with his wife, Lee Ann and daughter, Kelsi Mae.