The 2023 season will mark Bob Mitcheltree’s 20th year as a member of head coach Jeff Messer’s coaching staff for the Slippery Rock University baseball team.
Over his 19 years with the program, Mitcheltree has contributed to all facets of the program. He currently works with The Rock’s catchers in addition to serving as the team’s first base coach. Mitcheltree had his leadership and service to SRU baseball recognized by the American Baseball Coaches Association in the 2022 offseason when he was named the ABCA NCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year.
In his first stint at The Rock, Mitcheltree served as the team’s pitching coach for six seasons from 1999-04. He rejoined the program prior to the 2010 season and has been a fixture in the Slippery Rock dugout ever since.
In total, Mitcheltree has helped guide The Rock to a 521-373-1 record over two stints as an assistant coach. Included in the previous 19 seasons have been 13 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament appearances, one league title, five NCAA Tournament berths, two regional championships and two trips to the College World Series.
A long time fixture in the Western Pennsylvania high school and college coaching ranks, Mitcheltree has over 40 years of experience in which he has coached over 50 teams.
As head coach at Wilmington High school, his 1981 squad captured both the WPIAL and the PIAA State championships. He served as the head coach at Lakeview High School in 1977 and coached in the Youngstown Class “B” League for several summers as well.
Mitcheltree was an assistant coach with Fabulous Goldsteins when they won the 1980 Ohio Connie Mack State championship and his 1983 Buckeye Elks squad participated in the NABF world series. Mitcheltree also served as the pitching coach at Westminster College for two seasons.
Mitcheltree played collegiately at Youngstown State University under the legendary Dom Rosselli. He has scouted professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres in addition to operating his own pitching school for 15 years.
As comfortable on the gridiron as the diamond, Mitcheltree has served for over 40 years as an assistant football coach at Wilmington High School. He has helped lead the Greyhounds to the 2008 PIAA Class AA State championship, state runner-up honors in 1988, 2017, 2018 and 2020, three WPIAL titles, eight state semifinal berths and 13 District 10 football championships. His son, T.D., was named first team all-state tight end his senior year as a Greyhound.
His success has been recognized with inductions into the Lawrence County Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the North County Baseball League Hall of Fame in 2011. Mitcheltree received a 25-year coaching award from the ABCA in 2003.
Mitcheltree taught in the Lakeview and Wilmington School Districts for a total of 37 years before retiring in 2009. He and his wife, Cindy, reside in New Wilmington and are the parents of two sons, T.D. (a former Rock football player) and Ryan. They have one grandson, Chase.
