Jon Mueller enters his eleventh season as the head coach of the UAlbany baseball program. The Great Danes returned to the America East Conference championship game last season after missing the tournament in 2008. Mueller, who was inducted into the Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame and the Stillwater High School Hall of Fame in the fall, guided UAlbany to its seventh 20-win season in the last eight years, as the Great Danes finished second in the regular-season standings. Catcher Ryan Gugel and reliever Sean Gregory earned all-conference first-team accolades, while pitchers Dave Kubiak and Zach Kraham earned spots on the all-conference second team. Kraham also followed Kubiak as an all-rookie team member.

In 2007, the Great Danes secured their first America East Conference tournament championship title and NCAA appearance while recording the program's sixth consecutive 20-win season. Mueller also saw five of his players earn All-America East Conference accolades. UAlbany posted a 29-29 record, including 13-11 in the America East, in 2007, and as the No. 3 seed captured its first America East tournament championship. UAlbany defeated Binghamton in the tournament final by posting the first-ever 1-0 victory in America East postseason play. The Great Danes, the America East champion, made the program's first NCAA appearance as the fourth seed in the Fayetteville, Arkansas Regional.

Mueller, who is first among the school's career leaders with 223 coaching victories, led UAlbany to a single-season record 37 victories in 2004. He has had 26 all-conference standouts and four players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

In 2004, UAlbany went 37-14, including 14-7 in America East play, setting records for wins and winning percentage (.725). The Great Danes finished tied for second in the conference and advanced to the America East championship for the first time, earning Mueller A-East coach of the year honors.

Mueller coached 2004 America East player of the year Dan Schoonmaker, who set the school's single-season standard in RBI with 51. In addition, shortstop Joe Lamb and infielder Derek DeGrazio earned All-America East first-team honors, while relief pitcher Shawn Ryan, who was third in the country with 14 saves, joined DeGrazio on the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Northeast Region first team. DeGrazio was also named to the ECAC second team and Ryan was selected a collegebaseballinsider.com honorable mention All-American.

In addition to mentoring all-conference standouts, Mueller has had five players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft. Last season, Gugel signed a free agency contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, while Gregory played for the Independent League Champions Quebec Capitals. In 2008, first baseman Mike Konstanty was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds in the 39th round. Catcher Tom Hill, a two-time All-America East Conference first-team selection at catcher, was chosen in the 34th round of the 2007 draft by the Kansas City Royals. Starting pitcher Adam Kroft, who went 8-3 with a 4.08 ERA as a senior, was chosen in the 30th round of the 2004 draft by the San Diego Padres. Kroft followed Mike Grasso, who was chosen in the 11th round by the Atlanta Braves in 2002 and Steve Checksfield, the school's all-time leader in several categories including home runs and RBI, who was selected in the 26th round by the Houston Astros in 2001. Checksfield was the first UAlbany player since 1974 to be drafted into the majors. Mueller has also coached other players that have inked free agent professional contracts, including Mark Suchowiecki, who signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2006 and pitched for their Class A affiliate, the Hudson Valley Renegades.

A volunteer baseball assistant at UAlbany prior to his current appointment, Mueller played professionally in the minor leagues from 1994-2000 in the Northeast and Northern Leagues with the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs, Adirondack Lumberjacks and Marshall (Minn.) Mallards. A 6-foot-5, 245-pound infielder and designated hitter, Mueller holds a career .286 batting average with 74 home runs and 318 RBI in seven professional seasons. He led the Northeastern League in homers in 1996 and 1997 with 18 and 20, respectively. In 1999, Mueller hit .290 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI, despite missing 30 games due to injury, and helped his team go 20-8 down the stretch to qualify for Northern League playoffs. He earned most valuable player honors of the league's East Championship series when he had the game-winning two-run single in the fifth and deciding game.

In the Northeast League Championship series against Winnipeg, Mueller went 5-for-15 with two homers and seven RBI, including the game-winning grand slam with his team trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 3 of the Best-of-5 series. The Diamond Dogs went on to win the series in four games and Mueller was named series MVP. Mueller was also a member of the Albany-Colonie squad that won the 1997 Northeast League Championship and was selected MVP of the 2000 Northern League all-star game.

A native of Stillwater, N.Y., Mueller coached at the College of St. Rose in 1993-94 and has been a teacher/instructor with Mechanicville City Schools, Saratoga BOCES and the Duanesburg School District. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Eckerd College (Fla.) in 1992 and has a master's degree in secondary education from St. Rose. Mueller and his wife, Patricia, reside in the Capital Region with their daughter, Marley, and son, Jaxon.