Following-up on something that I mentioned back on June 19th (D3 DIRT). Millersville assistant Daniel Eacho has officially been named as the Head Basketball Coach at Mary Baldwin University. Here’s the press release from the school:
Mary Baldwin University is proud to announce the addition of Daniel Eacho as the new head coach for the Fighting Squirrels men’s basketball program.
Eacho joins MBU after serving as an associate head coach for the past three seasons at NCAA Division IIMillersville University. During his tenure, the Marauders compiled a 68-25 record, won their divisiontitle twice and advanced to the national championship tournament twice.
“First, I’d like to thank Tom Byrnes, Christy Shelton and the rest of the search committee for the
opportunity to be the next leader of the Mary Baldwin men’s basketball program,” Eacho said. “I’d alsolike to thank my family, friends and mentors for being such a huge part of my coaching journey.”
“Daniel Eacho is inheriting a program that made tremendous strides and success in three seasons under the guidance of the first head coach in team history, Matt Griggs,” said Director of Athletics Tom Byrnes.
In just its third varsity season, the 2023-24 Fighting Squirrels posted a 17-11 overall record and won the USA South Athletic Conference regular season and post-season championships. They were MBU’s first championships in 15 years as members of the USA South Athletic Conference. The team advanced to the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, MBU’s first NCAA team appearance in 18 years.
“While we thank Coach Griggs and wish him the best in his career, we also look forward to working with Coach Eacho, who emerged from an excellent pool of very qualified candidates,” Byrnes said.
“Throughout the process, it became clear to me that Mary Baldwin University is a special place,” Eacho said. “My family and I are excited to join this tight-knit community. I look forward to getting to work with the young men of the men’s basketball program, helping them grow not only as basketball players, but as student-athletes in the classroom and in the community.
“In its short existence, the MBU men’s basketball program has established a foundation of success. I cannot wait to build on that foundation and lead the program to new heights” Eacho said.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2015 at Roanoke College, boasting a 3.58 cumulative grade point average while earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History. Eacho also earned a Master’s in Business Administration at Salisbury University in 2019.
Eacho’s playing career for the NCAA Division III Maroons featured two seasons as team captain and he was named to the all-conference team twice. He was also a four-time member of the conference academic all-star team and was named the 2015 ODAC Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
He began his coaching career with one-year coaching stints at Hampden-Sydney College and Salisbury University before landing a full-time position at back at Hampden-Sydney in 2019. In three seasons, he served in several roles as an assistant, including recruiting players that went to the NCAA Tournament in the first two years after he moved to become an assistant coach at Millersville.
At Millersville, he helped recruit 16 scholarship players, including nine that earned all-conference recognition. Other assignments included overseeing the academic progress of the players, the logistics and financial operations of the program and fundraising activities.
