Tom Walter

Head Coach

Tom Walter, who returned the New Orleans baseball program to national prominence after the school was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, was named head baseball coach at Wake Forest on June 16, 2009.

The 39-year-old Walter joins Wake Forest after spending the last five seasons at New Orleans. He compiled a 153-147 record at UNO and helped the Privateers to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2007 and 2008.

New Orleans also boasted one of the best offenses in college baseball under Walter. The Privateers set school records for home runs in both 2007 and 2008 with 97 round-trippers in '08. In 2008, the team also set school records in hits (743), runs (581) and RBIs (524). The offense, which ranked in the top 10 nationally in eight offensive categories throughout the year, helped UNO record its most wins (43) since 1996.

The Privateers recorded their second-consecutive trip to the postseason in 2008, becoming the only school in Louisiana to achieve back-to-back postseason bids in 2007 and 2008 and one of only 37 teams in the country to accomplish the feat.

New Orleans also had seven players drafted in the 2008 MLB Draft and a total of 10 Privateers signed professional contracts.

Walter led New Orleans to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his tenure in 2007. UNO finished the season with a 38-26 record, which included the school's first Sun Belt Tournament championship since 1979. The Privateers knocked off regional-host Wichita State in the first game of the 2007 NCAA Regional.

New Orleans combined to win 81 games in 2007 and 2008 and had 13 players sign professional contracts over the two seasons.

In 2006, Walter was able to guide the Privateers to a 30-28 record, despite having to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Walter re-located the team to Las Cruces, New Mexico for the fall semester. The team then moved to Mobile, Alabama, for the month of January and Westwego, Louisiana, for the months of February and March. The team finally returned to campus on March 21, 2006.

Walter's players have also had success in the classroom as all but one of his student-athletes who spent all four years at UNO graduated.

Walter came to New Orleans after a successful eight-year coaching stint at George Washington, which included leading the Colonials to the 2002 NCAA Tournament and an appearance in the Winston-Salem regional, which was held at Wake Forest Baseball Park.

Walter averaged 39 wins a season at GW and is the school's all-time wins leader with a 275-184 record. In the five seasons prior to Walter's arrival, the Colonials averaged 21.5 wins a year.

During his time at George Washington, 26 of Walter's players went on to play professionally. In 2002, six Colonials were taken in the MLB Draft, which marked the most players taken from the school in a single year.

Overall, Walter is 428-331 in his 13-year coaching career.

Before going to GW, Walter spent two years as an assistant general manager with the Greensboro Bats. He performed various duties for the then-New York Yankees Class A affiliate.

Walter played his college baseball at Georgetown University and started all four seasons either behind the plate or in the outfield. He served as team captain in 1990 and 1991 and was named to the 1991 Big East Conference All-Academic Team.

Dennis Healy

Assistant Coach

Dennis Healy is in his first year as an assistant coach at Wake Forest. Healy serves as the Demon Deacon pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.

Healy recently finished his fourth season as the head coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. as he led the Red Foxes to the 2009 NCAA Baseball Regionals. During his tenure at Marist, Healy had 11 players named to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference team including four first team selections. Earlier this month, Marist closer Jacob Wiley, the MAAC Relief Pitcher of the Year and the MAAC Tournament MVP, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. Wiley was the first Marist player taken in the draft since 2003.

Healy and Walter have previously worked together at both George Washington and the University of New Orleans. Healy was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at GWU under Walter for five seasons, a period in which the Colonials enjoyed tremendous success. GWU set school records for wins in three of Healy's five seasons with Colonials including 37 wins in 2000, 38 wins in 2001 and 42 victories in 2002. In 2003, GWU posted its highest winning percentage (.673) since 1986. In his fall recruiting class of 2001, all seven of his signees went on to sign professional baseball contracts.

"Dennis is the perfect person to take our pitching staff to the next level," said head coach Tom Walter. "His ability to get the most out of each and every one of his pitchers is second to none in our business. He has an exceptional ability to identify exactly what a pitcher needs to do to be successful at the highest level and then has the knowledge base and the communication skills to make the necessary corrections and have them translate immediately on the field."

Healy, a native of Ballston Spa, N.Y., was a four-year starting pitcher at GWU from 1993-96. He earned second team All-Atlantic 10 honors as a senior and was a second team All-East Region and second team All-ECAC pick. Healy was 7-3 as a senior and ranked 12th in the nation with a 2.25 ERA. The right-hander also served as team captain as a senior.

Healy served as the head coach of the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 2004 as he led the team to a Southern Division title and a successful run in the league playoffs.

Bill Cilento

Assistant Coach

Bill Cilento enters his first year as an assistant coach at Wake Forest. He will work primarily with the Demon Deacon hitters and infielders.

Cilento joins the Wake Forest staff after serving the previous three seasons at Brown University where he worked as the hitting coach and the infield coach. As a team, Brown hit .308 during the 2009 season, finishing the year with a 24-19-1 record. Matt Nuzzo, an infielder for Brown in 2009, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2009 MLB Draft after hitting .324 with 11 home runs.

Cilento made an immediate impact with the Brown baseball program in his first season in 2007, helping the Bears to their first-ever Ivy League Championship and NCAA regional berth. Brown led the Ivy League in nearly every offensive statistic in 2007, including winning the batting average category by 39 points.

Walter and Cilento worked together at New Orleans for two seasons. Cilento worked with the Privateer infield during his two seasons at UNO and also assisted with recruiting. During his tenure, he helped to recruit 38 future Privateers. In his last season, New Orleans improved its record by 11 games, finishing fourth in the Sun Belt Conference. Cilento coached three All-Sun Belt players while at UNO.

Before his time at New Orleans, Cilento was an assistant at his alma mater, Siena. He primarily worked with the Saint pitchers and also was the recruiting coordinator. In three seasons, he coached five players who were selected in the MLB Draft, the MAAC Pitcher of the Year, a freshman All-American and six All-MAAC selections. During each season, his pitching staff finished in the top two in the conference in ERA.

Cilento worked as a hitting instructor for the 2002 regular season champion Schenectady Mohawks of the New York Collegiate Baseball League. In 2001, he coached the American Legion's Cissel Saxon Post 41 in Montgomery County, Maryland, to the 2001 Maryland State Championship.

Cilento was a four-year starter at Siena and was a member of two MAAC regular season championship teams. He was also a part of the 1999 Siena team, which competed in an NCAA regional at Wake Forest Baseball Park.

"Having worked with Bill for two years at the University of New Orleans, several things stood out to me," head coach Tom Walter said. "Bill has a passion for college baseball that is exemplary and is a tireless worker and relentless recruiter. He is also able to quickly and easily develop a mutual respect and unique rapport with his players."

Grant Achilles

Assistant Coach

Former Wake Forest baseball player Grant Achilles enters his first season on the Demon Deacon coaching staff, serving as a volunteer assistant.

Achilles joins the Wake Forest staff after spending the last three years at Western Carolina. After serving as an assistant coach in 2008, he was promoted to assistant head coach before the start of the 2009 season.

During his two seasons at WCU, Achilles helped the Catamounts to two winning seasons, including a 35-22 mark in 2009. Along with his work on the field, Achilles also coordinated and oversaw team travel.

Before his tenure at Western Carolina, Achilles spent a season with the Charlotte baseball program, working with the 49er catchers, assisting with the defense and hitters and also serving as the first base coach. Achilles worked with all-Atlantic 10 catcher Kris Rochelle, who was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

Achilles helped the 49ers to one of their most successful seasons in program history, finishing with 49 wins and earning a national ranking that rose to as high as No. 19. Charlotte advanced to the NCAA Tournament, playing in the Columbia, S.C., regional.

Achilles has also coached in summer wooden bat leagues. He spent the summer of 2006 as an assistant coach with the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League, helping the team to a runner-up finish. In 2007, Achilles was the associate head coach of the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League.

A four-year letterwinner at Wake Forest from 2002-06, Achilles played a variety of positions for the Demon Deacons, including time at first base, second base, right field and catcher. Achilles appeared in 56 games during his collegiate career, including 19 starting appearances.

Achilles played his high school baseball at Heritage High, earning first team all-region and all-state honors during his junior and senior seasons. He led his team to a Region III championship and a berth in the Virginia state title game. A three-year academic all-state selection, Achilles hit .495 with 27 stolen bases in American Legion play in 2001, the same year he earned MVP honors at the World Youth Classic Championship.