Mik Aoki - Baseball Coach - University of Richmond Athletics

Mik Aoki

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
mik.aoki@richmond.edu

Aoki joined Richmond in June 2023, bringing more than 20 years of head coaching experience and over 500 career wins to the Spiders.

Aoki led the Spiders to a 27-32 record and 13-11 conference record in his first season at the helm of the program in 2024. UR clinched an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship tournament berth and as the four seed made it to the Championship Finals, going 3-2, suffering both losses to crosstown rival VCU. In the team’s three postseason victories, the squad defeated George Washington 12-4, top-seeded Saint Louis 13-10, and Saint Joseph’s 14-6.

Against Atlantic 10 opponents, the Spiders won four series in 2024, including a series sweep of George Washington at Pitt Field, and captured a victory against every A-10 opponent avoiding being swept. In the second game against George Mason, the Spiders came back from a 15-run deficit to collect a 17-16 extra innings walk off victory.

Spider starting pitcher Kyle Roche finished the season allowing just four walks, two during the regular season and two in the A-10 Tournament in 86.2 total innings on the hill. Roche led the nation averaging 18.0 strikeouts to every walk surrendered and 0.42 walks allowed per nine innings pitched.

Six different Spiders collected hardware in 2024. Brian Reinke (pitcher), Aidan O’Keefe (rookie) and Aaron Whitley (player) all collected weekly A-10 regular season honors. Esteban Rodriguez was named to the A-10 Second Team, while Jackson Hinchliffe picked up Rookie Team honors and Whitley was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Phil Bernstein was named to the A-10 All-Academic and to the Jewish Baseball News All-America teams.

He came to UR from Morehead State, where in 2023 he guided the Eagles to a 36-20 record and the outright Ohio Valley Conference regular title, the first for the program since 1979. Morehead State’s 36 wins were tied for fourth-most in school history and marked the third straight year the Eagles increased their win total from the previous season.

Aoki served as the head coach at Notre Dame for nine seasons from from 2010-19, when he oversaw the program’s transition from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference. In their final Big East season in 2013, Aoki guided Notre Dame to a 34-24 record and a runner-up finish in the Big East Tournament. In the program’s second ACC season in 2015, the Irish finished 37-23 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.

Aoki spent seven seasons at Boston College as both an assistant and head coach, leading BC to some of the most successful seasons in program history. In 2009 — the third of Aoki's four seasons as head coach — the Eagles won 34 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1967. From 2004 to 2006, Aoki served as BC's pitching coach. He helped BC to a program-record 37 wins in 2005 and had six Eagles pitchers drafted by MLB clubs.

Aoki’s first collegiate head coaching position was at Columbia from 1999 to 2003. Aoki led the Lions to 20 wins in 2001, their first 20-win season since 1987. The Lions reached 20 wins again in 2002 and 2003, compiling the second-longest string of 20-win seasons in school history at the time.

Everywhere he’s coached, Aoki has demonstrated an ability to develop future professional players. More than 55 of his players have been selected in the MLB Draft, and 15 have gone on to reach the major leagues.

Aoki’s teams have also performed in the classroom, posting a program GPA of 3.0 or better every year from 2012 to 2021. In 2018 and 2019, his Notre Dame teams received “The Trophy,” an award given to the Irish team most committed to community service.

Aoki earned a Bachelor’s degree from Davidson College in 1990 and a Master’s degree from Ohio University in 1994. He and his wife Sue have three children, a son Kai, and daughters, Bryn and Reese.