Ed Kahovec, a two-time Gene Depew Patriot League Coach of the Year (2024, 2025), enters his seventh season as head coach of the Holy Cross baseball team and 10th year as a member of the Crusaders’ coaching staff in 2026.
Kahovec was named the permanent head coach of the Holy Cross baseball team on May 21, 2020, after serving as the interim head coach during the 2020 season and an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator since 2017. Kahovec earned his 100th win at Holy Cross, a 24-7 seven inning victory at home against Lehigh on May 3, 2025. He signed a three-year contract extension announced on June 25, 2025 keeping him in Worcester through the 2028 season.
The Crusaders have seen postseason success during Kahovec's time on the coaching staff, earning two Patriot League titles (2017, 2025) and two NCAA Tournament berths (2017, 2025). While at Holy Cross, he has coached eight players that signed professional contracts, including a trio of MLB draft picks (Brendan King - 2017, Declan Cronin - 2019, Danny Macchiarola - 2025).
Holy Cross has also seen significant academic success throughout Kahovec's tenure, with the Crusaders earning the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)'s Team Academic Excellence Award every season since 2018.
2025 was the most successful season in modern Holy Cross baseball history en route to the Patriot League Regular-Season and Tournament Championship. The Crusaders set numerous single-season team and individual single-season records. Holy Cross reached 30+ wins for only the fourth time in program history while their 17 Patriot League victories were a new team record. They also set team-highs in games played (58), runs scored (419), doubles (123), RBI (365), walks (311), stolen bases (123), and pitcher strikeouts (428). CJ Egrie established the new single-season team record in stolen bases (35) and runs scored (67). Holy Cross also had a program best eight players earn All-Patriot League honors headlined by the Patriot League Player of the Year, CJ Egrie and Pitcher of the Year, Jaden Wywoda. Shortstop Jimmy King also was named to the 2025 Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, 100 of the nation’s best shortstops were featured on the watch list.
In 2024, the Crusaders went 14-11 in Patriot League play making back to the Patriot League Tournament after a year hiatus. For his efforts, Kahveic was named the Gene Depew Patriot League Coach of the Year, while six players earned All-League honors. Holy Cross ended up winning the first game of the Patriot League Semifinals 10-5 over Navy, but fell twice in the Sunday doubleheader.
Holy Cross missed out on the Patriot League Tournament in 2023, but Kahovec coached the 2023 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Jack Toomey. Toomey also was the second straight honoree on the Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team. The Crusaders earned wins over Power Conference programs Purdue and Penn State during the year.
After beginning the 2022 Patriot League schedule with a 3-8 record, a pair of walkoff wins in a doubleheader against Bucknell on April 16 marked an electrifying turning point, of sorts, for the campaign. That sparked an 8-6 finish over Holy Cross’ final 14 conference games, including a 3-1 final weekend of the regular season, to secure a spot in the conference dance for the first time since 2019. Freshman Nick Wang was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Team selection.
In 2021, under Kahovec’s guidance, catcher Angelo D’Acunto was an All-Patriot League first team selection and nominee for the Buster Posey Award; senior pitchers Garret Keough and Liam Dvorak were Academic All-Patriot League selections. Holy Cross student-athletes also received weekly honors from the Patriot League on seven occasions.
Prior to the conclusion of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, Kahovec led the Crusaders to wins over Old Dominion and UC Riverside and a series win at CSU Bakersfield. Holy Cross had a strong start to the year offensively, batting .255 as a team and averaging 5.1 runs per game, the Crusaders' best marks through the first 15 games of the season since the 2015 campaign. Holy Cross also ranked 11th among all Division I teams in 2020 with an average of 2.47 doubles per game. Holy Cross student-athletes earned five weekly Patriot League awards in the four-week season, including Chris Rinaldi (Player of the Week), Ben Dellacono (Rookie of the Week) and Luke Dawson (Pitcher of the Week) sweeping the weekly awards for the first time in program history on March 10. Additionally, Dellacono earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American honors.
In 2019, Holy Cross finished with a 15-10 record in league play – its most wins in conference play since 2013 – and earned the second seed for the Patriot League Tournament. The Crusaders saw four All-Patriot League selections in first teamers Evan Blum, Declan Cronin and Liam Dvorak and second teamer Austin Masel.
Holy Cross opened the 2018 season in an impressive fashion, defeating national No. 24 Houston, 3-2. The Crusaders went on to earn a spot in the Patriot League tournament behind All-Patriot League selections Danny Barlok, Austin Masel and Chris Rinaldi.
In his first year with the Crusaders in 2017, Kahovec helped guide the team to its first Patriot League Championship and the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1978. The team went 4-0 in the conference tournament with series sweeps of Army West Point and Bucknell en route to the conference crown. Competing in the Corvallis, Ore. Regional at Oregon State, they earned their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1978 by defeating No. 25 Nebraska in their second game of the regional by a score of 7-4, eliminating the Huskers from the postseason. Four Crusaders were named to All-Patriot League teams in Austin Masel, Anthony Critelli, George Capen and Thomas Russo; Masel was named the Patriot League's Rookie of the Year and earned Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball. Critelli additionally earned the 2017 Senior CLASS Award.
Kahovec joined Holy Cross after four seasons as head baseball coach and an assistant athletics director at Bard. He became the first head coach of the baseball program at Bard in the summer of 2012, helping build the team to compete in the Liberty League after not competing at the varsity level since 1937.
Before heading to Bard, Kahovec spent four years as an assistant coach at Rochester. In his time with the Yellowjackets, he served as a recruiting coordinator, hitting coach, third base coach and infield coach. He assisted in leading Rochester to two UAA Championships, two regular season Liberty League titles, three conference tournament appearances, a program-record 30 wins, a No. 7 national ranking and a Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year award. Kahovec also helped develop one UAA and Liberty League Player of the Year, one UAA Rookie of the Year and 11 different all-region and conference selections.
Kahovec played four seasons at Rochester from 2005 to 2008. His collegiate accolades include three All-Liberty League selections, two All-UAA awards and one all-region award. In his senior season, he helped lead the Yellowjackets to a regular season Liberty League title while batting .372. Kahovec also played professionally in the German National Baseball League for the Erbach Grasshoppers, where he was named team MVP in 2008. He also ranked in the top 10 in the league for batting average, on-base percentage assists and fielding percentage.
Kahovec received his bachelor’s degree in political science and English in 2008 and a master’s degree in educational psychology from Missouri in 2019.
