B.J. Salerno, '09, serves as the Bonnies Baseball Associate Head Coach and will be entering his 13th season on staff with the program in 2026.
Salerno served as interim head coach during the 2022 season.Â
As a successful starting catcher during his undergraduate days, Salerno helped lead the Bonnies to the A-10 Tournament three consecutive years (2006-2008). He was also a part of the 2006 Atlantic 10 Tournament runner-up team. Salerno started 152 consecutive games behind the plate for the Brown and White and was a senior co-captain.
In his role as an assistant coach, Salerno worked closely with Bonnies pitchers and catchers and took the lead in recruiting efforts.
With Salerno on staff, the Bonnies were far and away the Atlantic 10's top pitching staff statistically in 2016, recording a 2.79 team ERA. That total ranked first in the A-10 by over a full run and fourth in all of Division I. Sophomore Brandon Schlimm was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 while senior Connor Grey set Bona's all-time season record for strikeouts with 95 and was drafted in the 20th round of the MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks following the season.
In 2017, Salerno oversaw the development of junior Aaron Phillips who became St. Bonaventure's second player to earn Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year honors after going 9-1 with a 2.77 ERA and was drafted in the ninth round of the MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants. Freshmen Casey Vincent and Donovan Moffat were each named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team as well. In all, the Bonnies ranked fourth in the A-10 with a staff ERA of 4.03.
In 2019, the Bonnies pitching staff set a program record for season strikeouts with 344.Â
During Salerno's time on staff, he has helped recruit and oversee multiple All-Americans. During the four-year stretch between 2017 and 2020, the Bonnies had an All-American selection each year: Phillips (2017 ABCA Third Team All-America), outfielder Sam Fuller (2018 CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team, 2019 First Team) and outfielder Brendyn Stillman (2020 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Second Team All-America). Following the 2021 season, outfielder Tyler Kelder was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference while pitcher Donovan Moffat and shortstop Branden Myers were selected to the A-10 All-Academic Team.
Before joining the Bonnies, Salerno was an assistant baseball coach at Jamestown Community College where he was in charge of the hitters, catchers and outfielders. Salerno also assisted with recruiting.
