The winningest coach in program history reflects on his success on and off the field.
Varsity baseball coach Joe Reina celebrated the 500th victory of his illustrious career this spring, at a game when the Yellowjackets beat Union College 6–3. All have come with the Yellowjackets, making Reina the winningest coach in program history.
“I’ve really never thought about the amount of wins” he says. “I’ve always focused on how do we win this game? It’s about the student-athletes and what they mean to me. I love all of them.”
The Rochester native was named the 18th head coach in URochester history in 2002.
His teams have gone 505–390 (.564 winning percentage) and made three trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Two of his players have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft—pitchers John Ghyzel ’24 and Nolan Sparks ’24. Ghyzel was drafted after the 2017 season and pitched professionally through 2021. He earned his bachelor’s degree from URochester in 2024.
“All of that success has been great,” Reina says. “But what I’ll remember most are the bus conversations, phone calls, and texts with players and watching these young men grow into leaders in the workforce and become great husbands and dads.”
Reina’s milestone win came in the same game that infielder Jackson Reed ’24, ’25S (MS) broke a team record by collecting his 202nd career hit. The California native played five seasons under Reina and finished with 221 hits. “Having Jackson accomplish that feat made the day truly special,” Reina says. “It’s been great watching him turn into the player he is.”
When the milestone game ended, Reina congratulated Reed and flipped him the game ball. Reed caught it, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out another ball. He handed it to his mentor and said, “Right back at you, Coach! Congrats on win number 500!”
Reina says he has no plans to retire any time soon. “I love meeting families during the recruiting process, I love practice time and watching the kids get better, and I stink at golf. I love this school, and I love my boss (athletic director George VanderZwaag). So, as they say, ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life!’ As long as that holds true, I’ll keep trying to win the next game.”
This story appears in the fall 2025 issue of Rochester Review, the magazine of the University of Rochester.
