Coaching Staff
Head Coach
Sandra Hollander, 20th year
hollansl@buffalostate.edu
Assistant Coaches
Pam Amabile, Jim Ramos, Aaron Vanderlip, Greg Willats, Laurie Hutten, Christine Keleher
Sandra Hollander enters her 20th season as the Buffalo State head softball coach in 2007. The Bengals have enjoyed great success during Hollander’s tenure. She ranks in the Top-25 among all-time Division III coaches in victories with a 455-266-2 career mark (.631), while making seven trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Hollander was inducted into the Western New York Softball Hall of Fame in in Nov., 2005. She has coached the team to 14 20-win seasons, including last season when her team finished with a 27-11 overall record.
Hollander captured victory No. 400 in just the third game of the 2006 season with a 7-1 win over Elms in Ft. Myers, Fla. Hollander earned her 300th career win in 2002 in the season opener in Ft. Myers, with a 9-7 win over Middlebury. She collected her 200th career victory in the 1997 season. Twice she has been named SUNYAC Coach of the Year (1990 and 1996) and guided her team to the first of two SUNYAC Championships in 1996. The Bengals claimed their second conference title under Hollander in 2000. In 1992 and 1993, she led the program to consecutive New York State championships and was named Regional Coach of the Year by the Softball Coaches Association. In 1991, Hollander’s Bengals were ranked as high as ninth in the nation.
Under her guidance, Buffalo State has been extremely well represented when it comes to post-season honors. Hollander has coached five All-Americans, more than 30 All-Region performers, and more than 75 who have gained All-SUNYAC recognition. Among more than 30 players gaining All-ECAC status were three players who were also named ECAC Player of the Year.
A 1981 graduate of Indiana University, Hollander also earned a master’s degree from Canisius College in 1990. Sandy lives in Kenmore with her son Alex.
Assistant Coach Pam Amabile
Pam has been an assistant on the Buffalo State staff for the duration of Sandra Hollander’s head coaching career at the school. She is in charge of the Bengals pitching staff, having tutored many outstanding hurlers during her tenure at Buffalo State. Pam was inducted into the American Softball Association Hall of Fame in February, 2001, and was enshrined into the Western New York Softball Hall of Fame in 1998. She pitched in the National Championships at four levels - Junior College, NCAA Division I, ASA “A” Level and ASA Major Women’s Fastpitch. She has been a member of every gold medal winning softball team for Western New York in the Empire State Games, and has also won three golds and a silver medal in women’s hockey.
Assistant Coach Jim Ramos
Jim is in his 10th season as an assistant with the Bengals. He lends a great deal of experience to the staff, having been involved in softball for nearly 20 years. Jim’s duties include working with the team’s outfielders. He serves as an umpire during the summer months. Ramos also served as the head coach of the Buffalo State cross country team for 22 years until 2005, coaching 25 All-SUNYAC and 20 All-State performers. A coordinator for alternative education with Erie I Boces in West Seneca, he resides in Tonawanda.
Assistant Coach Aaron Vanderlip
Aaron adds a great deal of softball knowledge to the Buffalo State staff in his 10th year with the club. His experience in men’s senior fastpitch leagues serves as a valuable asset. Aaron works with the team’s catchers. As an undergraduate at Buffalo State, Aaron was a fullback on the Bengals football program and served as a team captain his junior and senior seasons. A graduate of Buffalo State, Aaron also completed his master’s degree in elementary education from D’Youville and teaches at the Falk School. In addition, he coaches varsity football at his alma mater, Cheektowaga High School. Aaron and his wife Angelica are expecting their first child in June.
Assistant Coach Greg Willats
Greg joined the Bengals’ coaching staff in 2005. He works with the team’s first basemen and assists as a hitting coach. A former varsity high school coach with Sweet Home, Greg has also coach several summer travel teams. A native of Buffalo, he and his wife Sue have three children, Kelly, Brian and Nicole, who finished her four-year career as a Bengal in 2004. Greg works full-time with Gerster Sales and Service and currently resides in Tonawanda.
Assistant Coach Laurie Hutten
Laurie joins the Bengals coaching staff as a volunteer assistant after completing her impressive playing career in 2007. A three-time All-SUNYAC choice at second base, Hutten finished with a .368 career batting average and ranks in the top-three in school history in at bats, hits and stolen bases. A native of Tonawanda, she completed her bachelor’s degree in sociology last spring and is currently pursuing a master’s in guidance counseling at Canisius College.
Assistant Coach Christine Keleher
Christine comes to the Bengals’ staff this season after completing her four-year playing career at St. Bonaventure last season. A four-year starting pitcher, she set school records in strikeouts, games played, games started and games won and was a three-time all-conference selection. A Tonawanda-native, she completed her bachelor’s degree last May. Christine currently works as a pitching instructor at the Sandlot Academy and is a fitness instructor at the Buffalo Athletic Club for Women.
