Beausoleil leaving Mitchell to become AD at Avery Point
May 12—Mitchell College's Travis Beausoleil has informed his baseball team that he's stepping down as head coach at the end of the season.
He's leaving to become the athletic director at UConn Avery Point, his alma mater.
It was an extremely difficult decision for Beausoleil, who put his heart and soul into the job while building the Mariners into one of the most successful Division III baseball programs in New England.
The Mariners have won 304 games during Beausoleil's 12 seasons, capturing seven New England Collegiate Conference tournament championships and seven NCAA Division III tournament berths. He's had only one losing season — his first — and posted at least 30 victories five times.
When hired in August 2011, Beausoleil inherited "six returning players and a half a bucket of baseballs."
"I'm exceptionally proud," Beausoleil said of his accomplishments. "I don't know if there's another person that could have had the success that we've had here. I don't want to sound arrogant when I say it, but it requires an extreme amount of work, an extreme amount of practicality and pragmatism, an understanding of the game and the nuances of the game but also understanding people.
"It's not an easy school to recruit to, it's not an easy school to win at and continue to win at. ... Over the last 10 years, we've got the fifth best, give or take, winning percentage in the country. We proved that doing it the right way is sustainable no matter where you are."
Beausoliel accepted the Avery Point job in April but wanted to wait until after the NECC tournament, which Mitchell won on Sunday, to break the news to his team.
He said emotions ran high during a meeting on Monday.
"It was hard," Beausoleil said. "It was a really difficult conversation for me as well. Some took it okay, some were visibly upset."
Beausoleil is not concerned that his announcement will be a distraction for his team.
Mitchell (31-8) is preparing for next week's NCAA tournament. An automatic qualifier by virtue of their NECC title, the Mariners will learn their postseason opponent and destination on Monday.
Beausoleil plans to soak and enjoy in his remaining time at Mitchell.
"I'm going to try to cherish every second that I have out there with them, cherish every second I have left throwing BP and hitting fungos," he said. "And, at the same time, we're not done. We've been here before. It's one of the best squads I've had.
"I'm also not going to be done pushing them and making sure that we're getting the best out of them. This is the time we have to play our best baseball."
The Mariners are aiming for a breakthrough run. They've posted a school-best five NCAA postseason wins under Beausoleil but have never won a regional tournament. They have a good chance to serve as a host for the first time in school history.
Beausoleil admits it will be tough to leave his Mitchell family and enter the administrative side of athletics.
Baseball has been his life for as long as he can remember. And he loves being involved in the sport in Connecticut where his roots remain firmly planted.
Avery Point is a great landing spot for the Plainfield High School graduate. He was a two-time All-New England player for the Pointers, learned a great deal from coach/mentor Roger Bidwell and is in the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
He'll start his new job sometime after the Mitchell College baseball season ends.
"If the Avery Point baseball program wasn't near and dear to me, I don't think I'd be walking over to take over the position as AD," Beausoleil said. "It's the next chapter in my life that I'm not certain if I'm ready for.
"There's one thing in this world that I do exceptionally well and that's coach baseball, understand baseball and understand how to get the best out of the players. It's definitely going to be a change and I never necessarily saw my life without it. The good thing is I'm still connected to it with the AP baseball program."
"And I think it's an opportunity to grow a career and still stay in this area that I love so much. And I'm not too far from Mitchell. I'm right across the water. I can hold my binoculars, take a look and make sure the program is still going in the right direction. I think we've set it up to do that."
With a beautiful athletic facility and a strong core of returning players, Beausoleil sees a bright future for the Mitchell program. The Mariners will join the Great Northeast Athletic Conference this fall.
"It will be a change as far as the leadership of the program but the squad coming back should be pretty good," he said.
He hopes that either one of his assistant coaches or one of his former players replaces him.
"I'd like to see it stay in the family."
