Pepicelli was named the Ted Thoren Head Coach of Baseball on Aug. 10, 2015, and is entering his 11th season at the helm of the Cornell baseball program in 2026.
Entering the 2026 season, Pepicelli has 113 wins as the Big Red's head coach, one of four head coaches in Cornell baseball history to reach the century mark for victories with the Big Red, joining Ted Thoren (515), Tom Ford (264), and Bill Walkenbach (130). Pepicelli's 100th career win with the Big Red came in its first-ever Ivy League Tournament game against Princeton, 9-7, at Robertson Field at Satow Stadium on the campus of Columbia University on May 17, 2024.
His 64 Ivy League victories also stand as the fourth-highest win total in conference play in program history, also trailing Thoren (193), Ford (139), and Walkenbach (69).
Under Pepicelli's tutelage, Cornell has produced 30 All-Ivy League selections — including nine First Team and Second Team selections — and one Rookie of the Year (Mark Quatrani in 2024). Four Big Red players have also been selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Cornell has succeeded in the field over the last two seasons, committing just 65 errors in 2,636 fielding opportunities, leading to a .975 fielding percentage that ranks 46th nationally, entering the 2025 College World Series. The Big Red's 30 errors were the fewest errors committed in Division I baseball and its .976 fielding percentage was the best clip in program history. Entering the 2026 season, Cornell is one of 23 Division I programs to have at least a .975 fielding percentage in each of the last two seasons (Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Cal Poly, Dallas Baptist, Duke, Florida State, Fresno State, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, NC State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers, San Diego, UC Irvine, UTRGV, Vanderbilt, and Washington).
The 2024 campaign featured the Big Red posting an overall record of 17-21 with an 11-10 mark in Ivy League play, finishing with the third-best conference record in the Ancient Eight. Cornell's 11 victories against Ivy League opposition was the most under Pepicelli and the program's highest win output in conference games since 2013 (11-9).
Cornell's offense produced at a record level in 2024 behind its program-record 52 home runs, which shattering the previous mark (38 in 2009). The Big Red drove in 250 RBI, matching the output from 2012 for the most RBI in a single season. With its knack for registering extra-base hits, Cornell had the second-highest slugging percentage on record (.453), three points shy of tying the single-season record of .456 set in 1982. The program's 270 runs scored were the third-most in a season, trailing the 279 runs scored by the teams from 1982 and 2012, and its 393 hits on the season were the fourth-most in program history.
Cornell was recognized for its outstanding performance in the field as then-freshman catcher Mark Quatrani, then-junior infielder Max Jensen, and then-junior outfielder John Quinlan were named First Team All-Ivy selections. Jensen and Quinlan's were both unanimous selections. It was the first time since 1982 (Greg Myers — pitcher; Mike Branca — first base; Marlin McPhail — second base; John DeMayo — outfield) that at least three Cornell players were named First Team All-Ivy (or First Team All-EIBL, as was the case of 1982).
Pepicelli registered his 300th head coaching victory with a 13-3 win over crosstown rival Ithaca on April 4, 2023, in the program's home opener.
In just his second year at the helm, Pepicelli led the Big Red to a 21-17 record in 2017 to give the program its fourth winning season since 1991. Cornell also improved by two victories in Ivy League play to finish third in the Lou Gehrig Division, and Pepicelli helped develop a hitting approach that saw his team's bats explode for a season average of .295.
Cornell has won at least 14 games in all but three seasons, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, with Pepicelli at the helm of the Big Red program.
Prior to his arrival on East Hill, Pepicelli spend six seasons at Clemson where the Tigers posted a 231-149 (.608) record. Pepicelli had three coaching titles during his six-year stay with Clemson, with his final three years serving as the associate head coach.
He became the Tigers’ first pitching coach to lead a staff to the College World Series in his first season with the squad. That year, the pitching staff posted the first of four consecutive seasons with an ERA below 4.00. Pepicelli recruited and developed Matt Crownover, who earned freshman All-America accolades in 2013 and ACC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2015, and was instrumental in assembling Baseball America’s ninth-ranked recruiting class in 2015. In total, 10 Clemson pitchers were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in Pepicelli’s tenure at Clemson.
By joining the Big Red, Pepicelli returned home to upstate New York, where he previously had 11 years of head coaching experience at the Division III level with St. John Fisher and Hartwick.
After serving as an assistant coach for three seasons at Hartwick, Pepicelli was promoted to become the Hawks’ head coach for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. He then spent nine seasons as the head coach and assistant athletic director at Fisher. Pepicelli was named the Empire 8 Conference Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2007, the latter honor coming during a season that saw the Cardinals advance to the NCAA Division III College World Series for the first time in program history.
Pepicelli's teams at St. John Fisher had winning records in his final seven seasons at the helm, and was previously the Cardinals' all-time leader in head coaching victories. His team in 2008 garnered national recognition for sportsmanship after a line-drive foul ball struck the opposing third-base coach in the head in the ninth inning of the play-in game of the 2008 ECAC Upstate Championship. Despite the fact that the Cardinals were trailing, Pepicelli and the team elected to concede the conclusion of the game and end any hope of a clinching the program's second consecutive NCAA tournament berth. The Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct presented Pepicelli’s team with the NCAA's All-Divisions Sportsmanship Award for its decision.
Along with being the baseball coach at St. John Fisher, Pepicelli also served as the head strength and conditioning coach where he spent three years on the NCAA Competitive Safeguards Committee. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and is a member of the National Strength & Conditioning Association.
A native of Schenectady, N.Y., and a graduate of Cicero-North Syracuse High School, Pepicelli played for three colleges in the region. He was an all-region selection in two seasons at Mohawk Valley Community College, before earning his bachelor of sciences degree in economics and management from SUNY Cortland after playing one season with the Red Dragons. He was also an all-conference pick in one season with Oneonta State.
Pepicelli is married to the former Robyn Molloy, who played for and served as an assistant coach with the Syracuse women’s soccer team. She also earned national titles as a player and coach at Monroe Community College. The couple has a daughter, Mia, and a son, Owen.
