SUNY New Paltz Athletics

Coach Thomas Seay concluded his sixth season as the head coach of the State University of New York at New Paltz Baseball program following a historic 2024 campaign. Seay led his group to a magical run that ended with the first SUNYAC title in program history and NCAA appearance. Under his guidance, the Hawks won a record number of games, finishing 31-16 overall, earned their highest seed ever in the SUNYAC Tournament (second) after finishing 11-7 in the conference, and even earned a first round NCAA Tournament win over hosting Eastern Connecticut State. 

Seay was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 2024 and became the first ABCA/Rawlings Region III Coach of the Year in program history after leading one of the best offenses in the country. 

Seay has coached 11 All-SUNYAC recipients, including SUNYAC Co-Rookie of the Year Christopher Sais, while coaching three All-Region selections (all coming in 2024). Additionally, under his guidance, Tommy Kreider became the program's first ever All-America selection.

will enter his sixth season as the SUNY New Paltz Hawks head baseball coach in 2024.

Seay is a baseball veteran, having been in the game since 2005, when he was hired as an assistant baseball coach at Old Dominion University. After staying for two years, he moved on to three different schools in three years, coaching at Louisburg College, Slippery Rock University, and Young Harris College. In 2010, Seay was hired as the assistant coach and recruiting director at Marist College. There, he assisted in all aspects of the baseball program, ran camps and clinics, and oversaw all recruiting. In 2015, he was given the same job at Virginia Wesleyan University, but with more responsibility. In 2018, he helped lead Virginia Wesleyan to the York-Pennsylvania regional, where they fell just short of making the Division III World Series, but did set an all-time win record for the program.

Seay has a history of molding good players into great ones, as he has coached 30 All-Conference players, 15 1st-Team All-Conference players, an All-Conference Player of the Year, a Rookie of the Year, and a Division II Player of the Year. Two of those players (Matt McGee and Dean Stalzer), since taking over the program. In addition, he has led players to success at a professional level, coaching 17 players drafted in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, and three current big leaguers in Daniel Hudson and Matt Adams of the 2019 World Series Champions, Washington Nationals, and Kevin McCarthy of the Kansas City Royals.

Seay earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Randolph-Macon College in 2002. In 2003, Seay merited his master’s in sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Seay is married to Melanie Canavan, a graduate of SUNY New Paltz. They currently reside in Newburgh, NY with their two sons, Levi and Remington, daughter Yardley, and their dog Willow.  

The Seay File: