Former Bulldog Making His Mark on the Diamond

Story by Mike Gore
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – One of the first classes that Todd Interdonato took at UNC Asheville in the fall of 1998 has stayed with him to this day.

Interdonato was a two-year starter for the Bulldog baseball program after transferring from South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. He was one of the most versatile players to ever wear an Asheville uniform. Todd could play anywhere in the infield and in the outfield. He also pitched for the Bulldogs as both a starter and reliever.

Interdonato has been the head coach at Wofford for the past 16 seasons and led the Terriers to nine straight winning campaigns. The Terriers have also won the last two Southern Conference regular-season titles. Last year, Wofford went 42-16-1 and just missed getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The wins set a Terrier school record. Todd has been named SoCon Coach of the Year for the past two seasons.

"One of the first classes I took at Asheville was a Business Management course. It was a hard course and there was a lot of public speaking," stated Interdonato. "I don't know what grade I got but it's a course that has stayed with me for my entire career. The class taught me how to make a business presentation and how to speak in front of people. I use that class every time I recruit a player to Wofford. I use it when I'm meeting with boosters or with our athletic department."

"When I was coming out of Junior College, I was looking for a school where I could play baseball right away but I also wanted a great academic experience," he added. "UNC Asheville had an excellent academic reputation and I thought it was a place where I could settle into and not be a number. I had a chance to go to the University of Arizona but I just thought that would be a hard place to settle into. Asheville just felt right, and it sure worked out for me both on the field and off the field."

Interdonato played for both Bill Hillier and Mike Roberts while he wore the Blue & White. He learned from both coaches.

"The one thing that both coaches did well for me was they tried to get the best out of every individual," said Interdonato. "I played a lot of different positions during my time at Asheville. Each coach wanted what was best for me and what was best for our team."

Todd was very pleased with his education at UNC Asheville as well.

"My education was awesome. I wasn't a number. I was an individual. The professors were always there to help you," said Interdonato.

The road to coaching was a long one – literally.

"I tried independent ball and realized it was time to go to work and not play baseball anymore," remembered Interdonato. "I had a great marketing job lined up in Arizona. I woke up the day I was supposed to go to work and realized that this might not be what I want to do.

"I decided to drive to Asheville and ask Coach Matt Myers if I could work for him," he added. "I called him first and he said he didn't have anything for me. I figured it would be hard for him to turn me down if I showed up in his office."

Myers did hire him to work as a graduate assistant. He also worked in the Athletics Communications Office and traveled with men's basketball for several games. It was a good experience for him.

"We didn't have the best year in 2002 when I was at Asheville, but I learned a great deal," stated Interdonato. "The biggest thing I learned is that no matter what kind of season you have you can still have a good relationship with your players. It's a group effort and everyone must buy into what you're doing."

Todd spent a few years at Gardner-Webb before becoming an assistant coach for Steve Traylor at Wofford. He became the Terriers' full-time assistant coach and in 2007, Wofford enjoyed an amazing Southern Conference Tournament. In Traylor's last year, the Terriers pulled off four amazing upsets and won the tournament as the ninth seed. It was an incredible way for Traylor to end his coaching career as he announced his retirement late in the season.

But after the magical run, it made for a nerve-wracking few weeks for Interdonato. He decided to apply for the head coaching job at the age of 28.

"I was one of five people to interview for the job and I just didn't know what would happen," he said. "I loved Wofford and enjoyed working there and thought I could do a good job, but I was also 28 years old."

It was a tough six weeks for Interdonato and he was a little worried when Wofford Athletics Director Richard Johnson decided to take him to lunch.

"We went off campus and I thought he was just taking me to lunch to tell me some bad news," declared Interdonato. "But that's not what happened. He offered me the job and it didn't take long for me to say yes."

Interdonato has built a powerhouse at Wofford. He has steadily guided the Terrier program from the bottom of the Southern Conference to the top of the league. His Wofford club last year was ranked nationally for most of the season.

"We've tried to build our program at Wofford the right way. We know our values at Wofford as an institution and we embrace that with our baseball program," he said. "I'm proud of what we've accomplished but I'm lucky to work at a great school like Wofford that has done everything it can to help us be successful."

"And I was lucky to go to an outstanding school like UNC Asheville. It's been more than 20 years since I took my last class there but just about every day something I learned at Asheville impacts me and our program."

The Bulldogs and Terriers will square off twice this season, February 21 at Wofford and April 25 in Asheville. For the complete 2023 baseball schedule, please visit uncabulldogs.com.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Former Bulldog Making His Mark on the Diamond

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