| Click here to e-mail Tony Stoecklin assumed the SIUE head coaching duties in July 2012. The 2015 season will be Tony's 16th as a member of the Cougar coaching staff, and his third as head coach. Stoecklin previously served as the Associate Head Coach and has long been responsible for the pitching staff. He also has handled most of the recruiting duties for several seasons. In 2014, Stoecklin led SIUE to its first ever-appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference championship, before being eliminated by eventual-champion Jacksonville State. Stoecklin’s 2014 SIUE Cougars netted a five-game improvement in the win column, finishing 21-33 overall, but the Cougars excelled in conference action. SIUE finished tied for fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference standings at 16-14 making the season the Cougars’ most successful season as a full time member of the Ohio Valley Conference. The 16 wins were the most in program history and the fourth-place finish also was their best since joining the conference. Stoecklin produced three all-OVC performers in Ryan Daniels (First-Team) Devin Caldwell (Second Team) and Keaton Wright (All-Freshman Team). Caldwell, a senior in 2014, again showed impressive power, blasting a team-high 10 home runs. Caldwell’s 10 long balls ranked him fifth in the conference for total home runs. The Cottage Hills, Ill. native also collected 18 doubles, which were the second-most in the conference play. Wright led the conference in walks with 41 free passes in just 51 games, and also was in the top five in on-base percentage in the conference. Junior Ryan Daniels was the ace of the much-improved staff, and was near the top of the conference in several individual pitching categories. Stoecklin helped guide his ace to an unblemished 7-0 record, and Daniels tied for the OVC lead with four complete games. The right-hander was in the top five in the conference in wins, shutouts, opponent’s batting average; innings pitched, and complete games. The complete staff engineered an improvement of nearly a run and a half on its conference earned run average. Cougar pitchers finished 6th in the OVC with a 5.09 ERA after finishing second to last the season before. Opponents’ batting average against Cougar pitchers dipped to .272 in 2014 from .307 in 2013. Opposing on-base percentage also dropped to just .354 from .384 a season earlier. SIUE achieved all of this despite missing All-OVC preseason pic Travis Felax, who missed the season due to injury. The Cougars also enjoyed success in the field. SIUE finished third in the OVC with a .974 fielding percentage in OVC games, just .06 points off the league lead. The Cougars turned 31 double plays, the third-most in the league. Stoecklin led the Cougars to a 16-35 record during the 2013 season, finishing tied for eighth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Stoecklin’s squad showed impressive power and a knack for getting on base. The Cougars ranked fifth in the conference in both homeruns and walks. Caldwell led the Cougars with 10 home runs. Senior outfielder Travis Becherer was a key cog in the SIUE running game, swiping 20 stolen bases, which was third in all of the Ohio Valley Conference. Stoecklin’s pitching staff posted a 6.32 ERA in 2013. Junior Travis Felax led the staff. Felax, the Troy, Ill. native, had the second-lowest ERA in the conference at 2.26, and allowed hitters just a .253 batting average. Senior Tony Shaeffer compiled four saves, bolstering the SIUE bullpen. The Cougars enjoyed a 7-1 record during an eight game stretch in late April through early May. Stoecklin coached two all-conference performers in Felax and shortstop Skyler Geissinger. Felax garnered second team honors, while Geissinger was an OVC All-Freshman Team pick. In 2012, his first season at the helm, Stoecklin oversaw a pitching staff that finished with a 5.98 earned run average. The 5.98 ERA put SIUE just percentage points from being in the top five in the Ohio Valley Conference for the second consecutive year. The Cougars had a 5.07 ERA in 2011, which would have ranked fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. In 2012 Stoecklin helped senior Dustin Quattrocchi’s transition to full-time closer. Quattrocchi finished his senior season with a 5-1 record and a 0.66 earned run average. His 12 saves were second in the Ohio Valley Conference, and he finished tied for ninth with five wins ? the most of any reliever in the league. Quattrocchi compiled 47 strikeouts in 41 innings while walking only five and allowing only 21 hits. He became SIUE’s first All-American, in any sport, since the move to Division I. He was selected to third team by the American Baseball Coaches Association and was an honorable mention selection by Collegebaseballinsider.com. Quattrocchi played professionally with Joliet of the Frontier League, marking the 17th pitcher that has signed a professional contract after leaving the SIUE pitching staff since Stoecklin began coaching. Stoecklin guided starter Spencer Patton to one of the finest single seasons in school history in 2011. He finished 9-3 with a team-best 2.55 earned run average. The nine wins were the third-most in a single season in school history. He also became the fourth pitcher in school history to record at least 100 strikeouts in a season, fanning 109 hitters, the second-most in a single season in SIUE history. Patton was awarded a Rawlings Gold Glove as chosen by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He was the only Division I pitcher chosen. Following the season, Patton was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 24th round of the 2011 first year player draft, Patton began his professional career at the rookie level, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where Stoecklin also began his career as a professional. In its final two seasons as a Division II program, SIUE ranked among the top two in earned run average among NCAA Division II schools. SIUE finished second in 2007 with a 2.51 ERA. In 2006, the Cougars also were No. 1 in the nation with a school-record 2.09 earned run average. SIUE’s pitching staff also set a national record for shutouts with 21. Stoecklin’s coaching talents have produced one Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, one GLVC Pitcher of the Year, one GLVC Freshman of the Year, one member of the All-Ohio Valley Conference Freshman team, four All-Americans, 10 All-Region pitchers, and 15 All-Conference pitchers. The list includes Division II All-American Kyle Jones, who set an NCAA Division II record in 2006 with 54 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings. As a player, Stoecklin was a member of the 1991 Cougar team which advanced to the NCAA World Series. He threw a no-hitter against Truman State that season and compiled an 8-5 record. In 1992, Stoecklin started 13 games and went 6-4 with a 4.42 earned run average. He was selected in the 23rd round by Atlanta in the 1992 amateur draft and spent three years in the Braves' minor league system. While at Single A in Idaho Falls, Stoecklin went 3-2 with a 2.42 ERA and struck out 51 batters in 44 2/3 innings pitched. He was named Organization Player of the Month in August 1993. In 1994, Stoecklin played High A ball in Durham, N.C. He finished the season 4-4 with a 4.36 ERA and 55 strikeouts. In 1995, Stoecklin signed with the Bend Bandits of the Western Baseball League (WBL). He led the league, in 1997, with 51 appearances. In 1998, he recorded a career-high 13 saves and earned a spot on the WBL All-Star team. Stoecklin then spent two seasons with the Chico Heat in the WBL. He had a strong 1999 season, posting a career best 2.20 ERA out of the bullpen. Stoecklin also tied a personal high with six victories and tied a WBL record by appearing in eight of the nine playoff games for the Heat, posting a 1.93 ERA. The left-hander ranks ninth all-time in WBL victories with 22 and appeared in more games (228) than any pitcher in league history.
Stoecklin, a Roxana native, received a bachelor's degree in kinesiology at SIUE in 2003.He and wife Angela reside in Hamel, Illinois. | 