After 11 seasons as the head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball program it has become obvious: Jerry Augustine can get it done. Look at these major points: Five 30+ win seasons. Three-time League Coach of the Year. Five MCC/Horizon League tournament or regular season championships. 20+ victories every year. Winning has become a way of life for the Milwaukee baseball program since Jerry Augustine became head coach in 1995. Last season, the team won 26 games, finishing one victory away from their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, falling in the Horizon League Championship game. Augustine became the first coach in school history to reach 300 wins at the Division I level when the Panthers defeated Butler, 10-6, on April 10th. In 2004, UWM battled injury after injury en route to a 23-30 record. The highlight of the season was the play of Ben Stanczyk. The junior was named the Horizon League's Player and Pitcher of the Year before signing with the Milwaukee Brewers in the summer of 2004. In 2003, Augustine's troops finished 25-25 overall and 13-10 in the Horizon League, the ninth consecutive top division league finish for UWM. In 2002, Augustine led the Panthers to their third league tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in four years. Augustine's efforts have not gone unrecognized, as the head coach has been honored as the league coach of the year three times and as the state coach of the year once by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA). In 2001, Milwaukee won a school-record 39 games while posting an impressive 16-4 record in league play. When Augustine won his 200th game late in the regular season, he became the first UWM coach in any sport to win 200 games exclusively on the Division I level. In his 11 years at the helm of the Panthers, Augustine has won a school-record 315 games and is the only coach in school history to have a winning career record (315-272-1). The Panthers recorded a breakthrough year in 1998, when UWM won 33 games. The Panthers then added to their growing tradition by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and upsetting top-ranked Rice before bowing out of the tournament. Prior to being named head coach Augustine served as the Panthers' pitching coach for one season. Before joining the Panther coaching staff, Augustine was more widely remembered as being a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1975-84. In 10 seasons in the majors, Augustine went 55-59 and boasted a 4.23 ERA. In 1976, he put together a 9-12 record and 3.30 ERA on his way to being named to the All-Rookie Team. His best season came in 1978 when he won 13 games in a starting role. Augustine was born in Green Bay and grew up in nearby Kewaunee. He attended Kewaunee High School, where he played baseball, football and basketball. He played collegiate baseball at UW-LaCrosse, lettering three seasons, before being drafted by the Brewers in 1974. Jerry resides in Muskego and is the father of five children.
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