Mercyhurst baseball announced Tuesday they have removed the interim tag and promoted Jimmy Latona to head baseball coach as they prepare for the transition to Division I.

 "I am excited for Jimmy and his family for this opportunity. He has represented Mercyhurst as a student-athlete and as a coach for almost a decade," said Mercyhurst director of athletics Joe Spano. "His accolades on the field are impressive, but his hard work and dedication to coaching and the Mercyhurst community are what matters most. He will continue to grow the program through the reclassification period while carrying forward the tradition of our storied baseball program."  

Latona took over as the interim coach last season when Spano transitioned into his role as Director of Athletics. In his first season leading the program, the Rochester, N.Y. native led the Lakers to a 21-20 record. Mercyhurst qualified for the conference baseball tournament.

"First off, I want to thank Andy Simon-Wambach and everyone who was involved in the interview process," Latona said. "Being named head coach at Mercyhurst is a dream come true for me. Having spent six years as part of this program, Mercyhurst holds a special place in my heart. I am looking forward to leading this program into this new era of Mercyhurst with the transition to Division I. Words cannot explain how excited and how grateful I am to be named the 9th head coach in program history." 

Before serving as a coach, Latona spent two seasons as a player for the Lakers in 2016 and 2017. The following season, Latona served as an assistant coach before he pursued his professional baseball career.