Craig Driver joined head coach John Stuper’s staff for the 2016-17 baseball season. Driver is the catcher’s coach, while also assisting with the hitting corps and the program’s recruiting efforts.
In Driver’s first season at Yale in 2017, he helped lead Yale to the 2017 Ivy League Championship, 2017 Red Rolfe Division Championship, a date in the 2017 Corvallis Regional Final, and a program record 34 wins. The Eli catchers showed improvement across the board, decreasing stolen bases against, total stolen base attempts, and passed balls, while increasing caught stealing percentage from 2016 to 2017.
Offensively, Eli hitters enjoyed one of the most productive seasons in school history, leading the Ivy League in runs (356), hits (510), doubles (107), homeruns (41), RBI (318), and walks (174). The 2017 season also yielded seven position player All-Ivy Selections including, Benny Wanger (1st Team), Richard Slenker (2nd Team), Tim DeGraw (2nd Team), Harrison White (2nd Team), Simon Whiteman (2nd Team), Griffin Dey (Honorable Mention) and Alex Stiegler (Honorable Mention)
Driver came to Yale after a two-year stint at the University of Puget Sound as the Athletic Recruitment Coordinator and Head Assistant Coach for the Loggers from 2014 to 2016. Driver directed the program’s recruiting efforts, committing 27 players from seven states in two seasons. Also in charge of the Logger catchers, Driver increased caught stealing percentage from 19.6% to 27.0% and lead the Northwest Conference in caught stealing with 17 in 2016. Driver tutored two All-NWC catchers at Puget Sound, helping both achieve their highest number of runners caught stealing and highest caught stealing percentage of their careers. Driver also ran the Logger offense in games, helping Puget Sound lead the NWC in batting in both 2015 (.328) and 2016 (.324) and stolen bases in 2016 (43).
As an assistant at Central Washington University, Driver helped lead the Wildcats to their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship in 2014. He also helped the catchers to increases in caught stealing percentage (from 18.8 to 37.3%) and fielding percentage (.976 to .987) and decreased stolen base attempts (61 to 32) during his two seasons in Ellensburg. The Wildcat catchers led the GNAC in both caught stealing percentage and stolen base attempts in 2014. Driver tutored two All-GNAC catchers in his two seasons at CWU, including 2013 GNAC Player of the Year, catcher, Kyle Sani, improving caught stealing percentage and fielding percentage, while decreasing errors, passed balls, and stolen bases attempted
Driver spent the 2012 season at Puget Sound as the catching coach, first base coach, and played a significant role in recruiting for the Loggers. Driver led an inexperienced catching staff with one sophomore and two freshmen to a .978 fielding percentage while only allowing four passed balls in 2012.
As a player, Driver spent one season at Columbia Basin College, before transferring to Puget Sound, where he caught for three seasons from 2009-11. As a captain in 2011, he earned All-NWC honors at catcher, helping lead the Loggers to their best conference finish since joining the conference.
Driver graduated from Puget Sound in 2011 with a degree in business and a minor in mathematics. He also completed his Master’s degree in athletic administration at CWU in 2014. Driver currently resides in New Haven.
