Dave is a former pro baseball player and spent the 2013 & 2014 seasons as the Pitching Rehab Coordinator/ Assistant Rookie Pitching Coach for the Cleveland Indians. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 1991 Free Agent Draft and went on to play for the Mets, Rockies, and Red Sox MLB organizations. In addition to his family business, Dave works for ESPN and produces the KZone. He provides Pitcher Scouting Reports for the Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday Night telecasts, working with former Major League All-Star Alex Rodriguez, former MLB veteran Eduardo Perez, former World Series Champion David Ross and others. Through the Swanson Baseball program, Swanny and his staff have worked with more than 120 students who have gone on to play at the collegiate level, along with 10 students who played or are currently playing at the professional level. Berlin’s own Matt Carasiti (MLB-Colorado Rockies, and currently w/Chicago Cubs) & Anthony Marzi (NY Yankees and currently w/Minnesota Twins organization), Southington’s Sal Romano (currently MLB w/Cincinnati Reds), and Newington’s Mike Hepple (NY Mets and currently w/Quebec Capitales) are the most recent Swanson students/instructors who are currently playing professionally.

 

Bob was an All-State player at New London High School and a member of the New London American Legion team that played in the World Series in 1986. After high school, he accepted a full scholarship to the University of Hartford where he would play beside Major League Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell. He was a career .330 hitter playing both first and third base. He also spent some time as a pitcher. As a Captain in 1992 he earned All New England honors. Nenna stands among program leaders in RBIs, putouts and fielding percentage. In ’91 Bob played and captained the Grand Lake Mariners of the Great Lakes League hitting a league leading .344 and being named a first team all-star. In ’93 he became the manager of New London Legion winning a zone championship in his first year and finishing second the next.  In ’95 he became the Hitting Instructor and Recruiting Coordinator for UHART. During his 2 years in that role the Hawks hit .290 and .311. Under his tutelage, Hartford’s offense averaged 6.7 and 5.8 runs per game. In ’98 he became the Interim Head Coach where he oversaw all aspects of the Division 1 program.