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Sean Cotter, a native of Norwich, Conn., enters his third year as head coach of the UMass Lowell softball program and has guided the River Hawks to a 57-47 record since arriving in 2010.
In his first season, Cotter led UMass Lowell to a 23-27 record (15-15 in the Northeast-10 Conference) - up from a 10-31-1 clip the year prior - and a 34-20 record last spring. UMass Lowell moved on to the NE-10 Tournament both years.
Cotter has also mentored five players to All-Conference status the past two years, including 2011 Player of the Year Elyssa Boris. He hit the 300 career-win milestone on April 13, 2010 against Saint Michael's.
Cotter has also spearheaded the Trick-or-Treat for Charity initiative at UMass Lowell, organizing the large-scale community outreach project that sees his team go door-to-door in the Greater Lowell community, collecting canned goods for a local food bank and candy to send overseas to the US Troops abroad.
Cotter had previously spent the last 10 years as head coach at Plattsburgh State and one season prior as head coach at Post (CT) University. Through his 13 years of head coaching experience, Cotter has compiled an overall record of 344-233.
Cotter was named the head coach at Plattsburgh in 2000 and compiled an overall record of 254-172 which included 10 straight appearances in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament, two SUNYAC regular season titles, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and one SUNYAC Tournament championship.
Cotter enjoyed perhaps his best season in 2007 when he guided the Cardinals to a 37-14 overall record (16-4 SUNYAC, second), the NCAA Division III Northeast Region Championship and a fourth-place showing at the Division III Softball World Series.
Cotter was named the NFCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year and a finalist for NFCA Division II Coach of the Year honors.
That season followed a memorable 2006 campaign in which Plattsburgh went 40-9 overall and 19-1 in the SUNYAC, winning both the regular season and tournament titles. During the year, the Cardinals enjoyed a 23-game winning streak, advanced to the NCAA Tournament Northeast Region championship game and capped the year at No. 12 in the NFCA Division III poll.
In 2008, Cotter led the Cardinals to a 30-13 record - their third straight 30-plus win season - and a share of the SUNYAC regular season title.
Just three years after taking over the program in 2002, Cotter led Plattsburgh to a 31-15 clip and an appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York Tournament championship game.
Prior to moving on to Plattsburgh, Cotter was the head coach at Post University for the 1999 season, where he set a school record for wins in a season (33-16) and guided the Eagles to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Tournament championship game. At the conclusion of the year, he was tabbed to coach in the New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) All-Star Game. In addition, Cotter has been tabbed by Coast-to-Coast Athletics to coach various high school/college all-star teams in Australia (2001, 2002, 2004) and Hawaii (2003).
Cotter boasts an impressive coaching tree, exemplifying his former players' and staff's passion for the game. Three former players are now head college coaches: Stephanie Zweig at Plattsburgh State, Jamie Prudhomme at Union College and Tracy Garofalo at Post University, while former assistant Casey Price is now the head Coach at Oswego State.
During his junior year at the University of Connecticut (from where he graduated in '97), Cotter was served as head coach at E.O. Smith H.S., where he compiled an overall record of 54-12. In 1998, he guided E.O. Smith to a 23-2 mark, the North Central Connecticut Conference tournament and regular season championships and a semifinal appearance in the Connecticut State Class `L' Tournament semifinal.
Cotter has also been active within the sport, serving as a past president of the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) softball committee.
He has also served on several committees within the NFCA, including the Board of Directors, All-America and Rankings committees as well as the NCAA Division III Northeast Region Rankings Committee.
Along with his coaching duties, Cotter was an adjunct professor of sports psychology as well as the game administrator for women's and men's basketball games. Cotter holds a Two-Star Master Coach license by the NFCA and is currently working towards his four-star certificate. He is also pursuing his masters degree in counseling psychology at the University of Connecticut.
