Former LeMoyne College All-American Joe Abone is in his first year as CBU’s pitching coach.
Abone, a 1979 graduate of LeMoyne, led the Dolphins to the NCAA Division II World Series all four years, including winning two games in the World Series in each of his final two seasons, leading the Dolphins to a third-place finish as a senior.
Abone finished with a 31-8 record with 234 strikeouts and a 2.05 ERA in 271 innings, earning induction to the LeMoyne College Athletic Hall of Fame. He played for the US National Team in the 1978 Pan-American games, earning the win in the clinching game of the series.
He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1979, reaching Class AAA in 1982 before a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery ended his career in 1985. Abone was the winning pitcher for the Expos in the 1982 Pearson Cup as the Expos defeated their Canadian rival Toronto Blue Jays in front of 23,102 fans at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium.
Abone pitched for the Memphis Chicks for parts of four seasons, from 1980 to 1983. From 1980 through 1981, he threw 340 innings with five one-hitters and 15 complete games. He was the winning pitcher for the decisive game of the 1980 Southern League Western Division Championship Series, also earning a save earlier in the series as he led the Chicks to the Southern League finals.
