New London — Mitchell College has found a familiar face to lead its baseball program into a new conference.

Shawn Gilblair, who served as the Mariners’ pitching coach and recruiting coordinator under Travis Beausoleil from 2019-2022, was named head coach on Monday by athletic director Matt Finlayson.

Beausoleil, who guided the program for 12 seasons, including seven New England Collegiate Conference titles and seven trips to the NCAA Division III tournament, left in May to become athletic director at UConn Avery Point.

Gilblair, a Windham High School graduate, spent the 2023 season as pitching coach at his alma mater, Eastern Connecticut State University. He will lead the Mariners as they transition from the NECC to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference this fall.

“Shawn is no stranger to Mitchell and we are excited for him to continue the success that he directly contributed to during his time here,” Finlayson said in an athletic department release. “His baseball resume as a coach, recruiter and player combined with his character and leadership will help ensure that Mitchell baseball continues its proud tradition of excellence.”

Prior to joining Beausoleil’s staff in 2019, Gilblair had coaching stints at ECSU, Montclair State (N.J.) and with the New Britain Bees of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. At Mitchell, he helped develop a pitching staff that ranked among the top 10 nationally in all major statistical categories while recruiting 19 players to the program.

Gilblair also orchestrated showcase camps and clinics while playing an active role in strength and conditioning, specifically with the pitching staff.

“I would like to thank President Dr. Espy, Athletic Director Matt Finlayson, and the entire search committee for the time and effort put forth for this search,” Gilblair said in the same release. “It is an honor that Director Finlayson has entrusted me to be the next head coach and lead the baseball program.

“I look forward to building on a great tradition and experience for the student-athletes that has long been established both on and off the field.”

Gilblair also enjoyed an accomplished playing career at ECSU, where he graduated in 2011 with a degree in sport and leisure management. He was a selected to the Division III All-America first team three times, was named New England Player of the Year and Co-National Player of the year two times and was named to the D3baseball.com All Decade team.

“I’ve been so fortunate to have great mentors and coaches in my life,” Gilblair said. “Many times, learning about the game of baseball came secondary to preparing for life and growing into young professionals in the real world. Because of this, I take great pride in developing players into respected, reliable, disciplined and competitors beyond the game of baseball.”

Mitchell finished 33-10 in Beausoleil’s final season and hosted an NCAA Division III regional for the first time, reaching the final before losing to Wheaton College.

“With the upgraded facilities including one of the best fields in all of New England and our transition into a competitive conference in the GNAC, I couldn’t be more excited about the future of not only baseball but all athletic programs at Mitchell,” Gilblair said. “The future is bright and I’m eager to work with and learn from all the great coaches in the athletic department.”