MWSU baseball bids adieu to Buzz, introduces new head coach

“I want to really extend my gratitude and let Coach Verduzco know and his family that I absolutely am thankful for opening his arms to myself and my kids and my wife and bringing us in,” Stambersky said.

The hiring is Missouri Western’s third baseball coach in the program’s history. The coaching veteran has over 20 years of experience, including seven years coaching in the MIAA as a pitching coach with Central Missouri.

In his tenure with the Mules, they advanced to two NCAA Division II College World Series appearances and tallied a 210-91 record. Having been in the conference for a while, Stambersky knows the style of baseball needed to win.

“Coach Verduzco allowed me a platform of doing what I do. You know, I’ve got 25 years in the business and primarily done it on the pitching side, so I believe pitching and defense wins,” Stambersky said. “So we’re going to do a lot of what we’ve already done. I want to play an up-tempo style of baseball.”

The newly hired head coach spent the last season as the Griffons’ lead assistant coach. This won’t be his first head coaching stint, though, as he spent one season as the head coach at Colorado State-Pueblo, where he guided the program to four top-25 wins.

That accolade, alongside coaching two pitchers to All-American honors and 17 to All-MIAA honors, has the team excited for a new era.

“Well, there was an outpouring of guys coming by the offices, shaking hands, they’ve done a great job of growing through some really tumultuous times over the last couple of years,” Stambersky said. “And I’ll never be measured by the scoreboard, but I’ll compete my tail off.”

The resume doesn’t end there, as he also spent 11 seasons coaching at Kansas City Community College as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. While there, he coached nine players who got Division I opportunities as well as four players who moved on to play professionally.

One thing that could be pivotal in recruiting is Stambersky’s area connections.

“Being a Kansas City kid and being from this area, I’m not going to say it’s easy,” Stambersky said. “We’ve got to win some hearts and minds, but we have a lot of connections in this community.”

Missouri Western will begin its season next February, looking to improve from a 2023 campaign where the team finished with a 15-32 overall record.