SUNY Poly Athletics

Patrick Baker enters his third season as the Head Coach of the Wildcat baseball team and his seventh year as the Sports Information Director at SUNY Poly in 2021-22.

The 2021 Wildcat baseball team under Coach Baker's leadership went 9-12 overall with an 8-7 conference record in a significantly shortened season. Despite all of the hardships and obstacles, the Wildcats qualified for the post-season. They would go on to lose two games of a three-game series by just a run each, bouncing them in the NAC Divisional Championship Series. One player earned All-Conference honors for the Wildcats in 2021. Four players earned weekly honors as NAC Player or Pitcher of the Week.

In 2019-20 Baker tool over the SUNY Poly baseball program. Unfortunately, the CoVID-19 pandemic halted the 2020 season just one day before the team departed for their annual spring break trip. 

Before taking over the Wildcats, Baker served as the SUNY Poly Assistant Baseball Coach for four seasons (2013-16) under Coach Kevin Edick. Baker has also coached American Legion Baseball in the area, working for the Whitestown Post 1113 organization as an assistant coach. Baker also has worked for the ECUA (East Coast Umpires Association) and has worked as an umpire in the NYCBL and Perfect Game leagues in the Mohawk Valley. 

As a student-athlete, Baker was a four-year starter and a team captain for the Wildcats baseball team. He is the career strikeouts leader with 155 and is second all-time with 16 career wins. He was named NEAC Pitcher of the Year in 2011, an All-NEAC 1st Team selection in 2011, and an All-NEAC 2nd Team selection in 2009 and 2012. Baker also is the only pitcher in the history of SUNY Poly Baseball to have earned a win in a NEAC Championship game. In 2012 Baker was awarded the Utica Kiwanis Clubs Student-Athlete of the Year Award. Baker was also the President of the SUNY Poly S.A.A.C. in 2012 

In his first four years as Sports Information Director, Baker has taken the lead on many projects for Wildcat Athletics. In 2015 Baker was tasked with expanding the social media portfolio of SUNY Poly Athletics to include Instagram while working to extend the reach of the department's Facebook and Twitter pages.

Baker also played an important part in the department’s rebranding effort after the institution's name change to SUNY Poly in 2015. This rebranding led to a complete redesign of the Department's website in 2016.

In 2016 Baker spearheaded the department's live streaming project, playing an integral part in the contract negotiations with Stretch Internet. This ultimately led to a multi-year contract with the industry leader. The Wildcats now stream nearly every home event on the SUNY Poly Sports Network (SPSN) portal in full HD with sound, live statistics, and limited commentary. Baker and the Sports Information Department will continue to expand the live coverage offerings in the future. To date, the portal has amassed nearly 65,000 views.    

Baker finished his undergraduate education at SUNY Poly in 2015 where he majored in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Engineering Technology. Baker was formerly a student assistant in the sports information department from 2011-2013. In 2012 Baker was one of 300 students nationwide selected to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum. The forum, held in Indianapolis, is where he discovered his passion for collegiate athletics.

Baker’s day-to-day responsibilities in Sports Information include game management, statistics, and media relations for all 12 SUNY Poly athetic teams. He maintains the department’s website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. He is in charge of producing all live game content including live video, statistics, and commentary on the department’s WildcatTV portal. Baker is the North Eastern Athletic Conference’s (NEAC) women’s lacrosse liaison for the 2017-18 season. Baker also serves on the SUNY Poly Marketing Committee and Social Media Committee.

A Long Island native, Baker grew up in Ronkonkoma, New York. He graduated from Connetquot High School in 2008. He currently resides in Utica, N.Y. with his wife Martha, his son Patrick, and their dog Yogi.