Victor’s Shwam is PGCBL Coach of the Year

The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League is pleased to announce that Dan Shwam of the Victor RailRiders has been selected as the 2015 PGCBL Coach of the Year.  Shwam guided the RailRiders to a 27-23 record with an appearance in the PGCBL Championship Series in the franchise’s first year of existence. Victor finished in second place in the West Division, eliminated the Utica Brewers and Elmira Pioneers to win the West Division before losing to the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs in the PGCBL Championship Series.”Coach Shwam has been successfully putting together programs for years,” said PGCBL President Jeff Kunion . “He has a great reputation throughout baseball and is a wonderful mentor for the young players he is entrusted with.”Victor played in 11 one-run games and went 7-4 in those games. The Shwam-led club was particularly tough at home, going 18-8 at Victor High School.Shwam helped the RailRiders overcome a tough 7-10 June, which was hindered by eight games being either suspended or postponed. Victor got hot in early July, going 8-2 from July 5 to July 12 to get them into the thick of the playoff hunt.As a team, Victor hit just under .250, but was fourth in on-base percentage, and was fifth in the league in runs scored. The RailRiders really excelled on the mound, posting the third-lowest team ERA and struck out the fourth-most batters.”It is an honor to be named the PGCBL Coach of the Year. But, you never get recognition for your work as a coach unless you have great players,” said Shwam. “The kids we have did a tremendous job. They worked hard all summer. This award is really a testament to them and the Victor organization.”Prior to becoming the conductor of the Victor RailRiders, Shwam was the head coach of the Elmira Pioneers f rom 2010 – 2012 and the CooperstownHawkeyes in 2013. Shwam has been managing for more than 20 years at the professional and summer collegiate levels.In 2010, Shwam guided Elmira to a then-franchise record 27 wins and a Western Division championship in the NYCBL. He was named Coach of the Year, an award he has won at least three other times, including this year’s honor.Shwam, who played two years professionally in the California Angels farm system, also spent many years in independent baseball and after finishing his last head coaching job in independent baseball in 2009, he had the second-most wins all-time among independent league managers.Coach of the Year Winners 2011 – Eric Coleman, Cooperstown 2012 – Keith Griffin, Amsterdam 2013 – Nick Davey, Albany2014 – Mike Armstrong, Newark2015 – Dan Shwam, VictorThe PGCBL is affiliated with Perfect Game, the largest independent scouting service in the country. Last year, more than 1,400 professional players had either worn the uniform of a PGCBL team or participated in a Perfect Game event.For more information about the PGCBL, visit www.pgcbl.com and follow the league on Twitter, @PGCBLbaseball.