New Rochelle, NY – Monroe University Director of Athletics Lou Melendez has announced the hiring of John Torres as the new varsity baseball coach ahead of the 2026 season.

"I have watched [Torres] impact the lives of student-athletes for over two decades," Melendez said. "He is a leader, a mentor, and a guide to success for young adults all while holding them to the highest of standards."

"[Torres] embraces the challenge of serving our collegiate community with the utmost dignity and professionalism. He totally understands and believes in the Monroe University mission and its core values. I'm sure he is excited to have an opportunity to lead the Mustangs program he saw Kiko Reyes create from scratch in 2005. I am confident he will excel at getting the best out of his players on the field and in the classroom. I'm looking forward to working with him and the rest of the baseball staff this upcoming academic year." 

Torres is being brought aboard after spending ten years within the Monroe University umbrella, with stints at both the New Rochelle campus and Bronx campus. He most recently served as the JV baseball coach for the Mustangs during the 2025 season.

"It's an honor to be chosen to lead an established program like this," Torres said. "I feel like a 21-year-old again. Coaching brings me energy, excitement, and a purpose of doing something very rewarding in life. The sky's the limit."
 
A self-proclaimed player coach, Torres cites accountability as his main philosophy.
 
"Hustling on the field and off the field, playing the hardest you can — not only for yourself, but for your team," Torres said. "If I have 35 or 40 guys playing hard for each other, we're going to win some ball games and we're going to be successful."
 
Torres continued by saying performance in the classroom is just as important as performance on the field. His expectations of the student-athletes are ensuring that they depart Monroe with a well-established academic track record that can help elevate them to a four-year school.
 
With a year under their belt, Torres envisions the returning freshmen to blossom under his leadership. Whether it's on the mound or on the field, he foresees the experience and maturity growth as a true calling card to what this team will look like in 2026.
 
Torres takes notice of a player's demeanor both on and off the field and leads by example — "if my assistant coaches and I are going 100%, you must be too." But that philosophy also works the other direction, as players in the past that have proven to Torres that they are willing to "run through the wall for [him]" have earned his respect and admiration.
 
"Over the years I've helped those that want to be helped," Torres said. "Those who do stuff for themselves and do the right thing for this program, for myself and coaching staff, I will run through a brick wall for them. Once you're under my program and you've graduated from me, we're friends for life."
 
Back in 2005 while at Borough of Manhattan Community College, Torres took notice of the immense progress of the baseball program under current athletic director and then-assistant coach Melendez. In the years following while serving as recruiting coordinator at Globe Tech, Torres was "in awe" of how Monroe conducted business both on and off the field.
 
The Monroe ties began in 2016 when Torres was tasked with heading the JV baseball program while simultaneously assisting the varsity program. After three seasons with the Mustangs, Torres departed the New Rochelle campus to take over as head coach of the Monroe Express in the Bronx.
 
Over a five-year span with the Express, Torres led the team to the playoffs on three occasions. In 2022, the Express reached the Region 15 Championship Tournament and hoisted the title despite dropping their first game of the double elimination field. Following their loss to Nassau Community College, Torres and the Express rattled off four consecutive victories by an average margin of 11.8 runs per game to punch their ticket to the Northeast District Championship.
 
After accumulating 73 career wins with the Express, Torres returned to New Rochelle to head the JV baseball program. In his lone year back at the helm, the team finished 14-13-1 — its first season above .500 since Torres's final year with the program in 2018.
 
In addition to leading the Mustangs to a bounce-back campaign, Torres achieved a major career milestone, securing his 200th career victory as a head coach with a 12-10 win over Lancaster Bible College JV on April 11. With over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience, Torres will bring valued veteran experience and stability to the varsity program.
 
"It means everything [to coach for the Mustangs]," Torres said. "When I wake up and I have something like this to do every day, it's very rewarding. I believe in the product, I believe in the education [the student-athletes] get here, I believe in where this institution is going in the future and I'm very excited for what it has to offer."
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as the Monroe University marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).