Anthony Goncalves

Anthony Goncalves enters his third season as the head coach of the Elmira College baseball program in the 2023-24 academic year. Goncalves was introduced as just the second head coach in Elmira College baseball history in June of 2021. He spent one season as an assistant coach for the Soaring Eagles in the spring of 2021 before earning the promotion.

Following the 2022-23 season, Goncalves would see fifth-year second baseman Jared Money '22 earn the inaugural Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors as he finished the season with a .983 fielding percentage and just two errors on 116 chances. As a team, the Soaring Eagles paced the Empire 8 in fewest fielding errors (35) and fielding percentage (.969) as both marks set new single-season program records. Elmira would also record the first no-hitter in program history on March 16, 2023 as seven Soaring Eagles combined to hold PSU Wilkes-Barre hitless through nine innings in a 13-0 victory. Catcher Jourdan Plaisted '21 was named to the Empire 8 First Team, while outfielder Matteo Salvati '25 was named Empire 8 Second Team, and third baseman Brett Warden '25 Empire 8 Third Team.

In his first year, Goncalves led the Purple & Gold to a 13-24-1 overall record, the most regular season wins since the 2017 season, and the program’s first ever Empire 8 Conference Tournament victory when they defeated No.1 seed St. John Fisher College, 6-5 in game one of the semi-final round. It was just the second time ever that Elmira College baseball defeated the Cardinals and snapped a 23-game losing streak in the head-to-head series for the Soaring Eagles. Goncalves mentored multiple all-conference honorees, including David Kruis ‘23 who was voted Empire 8 First Team as a relief pitcher, while Brett Warden ‘25 was selected to the Empire 8 Second Team as a third baseman. Warden was also named conference Rookie of the Year, the first-ever in Elmira College baseball program history.

Goncalves began his coaching at his alma mater, Misericordia University, from 2011-13. Under the tutelage of renowned head coach Pete Egbert, he helped transform the Cougars into a regional powerhouse. Not only did Misericordia win three consecutive MAC Freedom championships, but the Cougars appeared in the national rankings for the first time in 2012. The following spring, they broke the program record for wins in a season with 39, a mark that still stands eight years later.

After his tenure with the Cougars, Goncalves assisted the staff at Arcadia University for two seasons. The Knights witnessed one of the biggest turnarounds in program history during those two years with Goncalves in the dugout, improving by 11 games in the win column in 2015.

As a student-athlete, Goncalves began his collegiate career at Union County College before transferring to Misericordia, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Sports Management. He received a master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University Irvine in 2018.