SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine—The Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) Athletics Department has announced the hiring of Ben Gravel as Head Baseball Coach effective immediately.
Previous to his appointment at SMCC, Gravel served as an assistant coach at Merrimack College (NCAA Div. 1) for the 2023-24 season. His role for the Warriors primarily focused on hitting and outfielder defense. Merrimack finished atop the Northeast Conference in most major offensive categories in 2024.
A New Hampshire native, Gravel played and graduated from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (SJC) (NCAA Div. 3) with his bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Sport Management (2020). He continued at SJC to earn his master’s degree in Education (2024) and worked on the baseball staff as an assistant coach at his alma mater during the 2022-23 season. Gravel’s duties for the Monks included hitting instruction and recruitment.
Outside of the college ranks, Gravel did a stint as Head Coach of the 15U Northeast Baseball team (N.H.) in 2021 and was the Assistant Hitting Director for Powerhouse Sports the same year.
Gravel’s playing career took him to the Empire Professional Baseball League as an outfielder for the Saranac Lake Surge for two seasons (2022-23). Gravel produced exceptional numbers at the plate to gain recognition as a 2022 East All-Star.
Gravel expressed, “I’d like to thank Matt Richards and Ethan Wells for the opportunity to become the next Head Baseball Coach at SMCC. It’s exciting to join a program that has established a tradition of continued success. I look forward to building on that tradition, and helping our student-athletes reach their goals both on and off the field.”
Associate Dean of Athletics and Alumni Affairs Matt Richards stated, “Ben’s experience both as a player and coach across all levels of baseball will service the program here at SMCC immensely. I know Ben is prepared to take the next step in his coaching career and I look forward to watching him build on those successful traditions that define Seawolves baseball.”
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