Purchase College Athletics

Adam Taraska enters his 12th season as head coach of the Panthers in 2025.

The future remains bright as the Panthers return to the field in 2025 having qualified for the Skyline playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The team won at least 20 games in two consecutive seasons as well as achieving winning conference records both years. The Skyline Conference and the NCAA Region 3 both took notice of a pair of Panther standouts as sophomore Liam Daly was voted first team All-Conference and was recognized as first team All-Region by both the American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com. Freshman Brandon Gonzalez was voted Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year, first team All-Skyline, and was recognized as D3baseball.com's Region 3 Rookie of the Year.

2023 was one of the best seasons in Panther history. The team won 22 games (one shy of the program record), won two elimination playoff games, and advanced to the final semifinals game of the Skyline Conference Tournament. Liam Daly was voted Skyline Rookie of the Year and recognized by the ABCA as second team All-Region.
 
Over his tenure as head coach at Purchase, Taraska has coached 21 All-Skyline Conference players including one Skyline Player of the Year, three Skyline Rookies of the Year, four All-Region players and multiple Skyline players, pitchers, and rookies of the week.
 
Taraska came to Purchase in the fall of 2011 and served as an assistant under Bill Guerrero for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In 2013, Guerrero was named Skyline Coach of the Year.
 
The 2014 team, Taraska's first year at the helm, was one of the most successful in the program's history. The team advanced to the semifinals of the Skyline Conference Tournament for the first time after finishing the regular season in a first place tie with a 12-4 conference record. The Skyline Conference took notice as seven Panthers were elected All-Conference, and Michael Sarni was named Skyline Conference Player of the Year. Taraska was named Skyline Coach of the Year. The 2014 team was also recognized by the NCAA Division III as the national leader in stolen bases per game (3.86).
 
Prior to Purchase, Taraska served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at D-1 Fairfield University in 2010 and 2011. He also served as an assistant coach for the 2009 season at Fairfield foe, Iona College. He coached 2010 and 2012 drafted players for the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres during his time in the MAAC conference.
 
Taraska started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at D-2 Caldwell College in 2008, the same year the Cougars won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season crown and conference tournament, advancing to the D-2 Northeast Regional tournament.
 
At the high school level, Taraska spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons as head coach at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT. In addition, he spent the better part of 20 years as a coach for the AAU Connecticut Blue Jays starting in 2002. In his time with the Jays, he led numerous teams to Top 10 regional and national finishes. He has coached at every level from 13U-18U. He spent the summers of 2023 and 2024 coaching with MVP Baseball out of Long Island. He began a new connection with the Taconic Rangers in the winter of 2024 and will coach their 17U squad in the summer of 2025.

Prior to coaching, Taraska was a decorated athlete and four-year starter at the University of Bridgeport. Captain of the Purple Knights in 2003, he earned a B.S. in Human Services. He earned his Master’s Degree in Sport Management from SUNY Cortland in 2024. He and his wife, Greta, reside in New Rochelle, NY.