AMCC 25TH ANNIVERSARY SERIES: CONNOR PRIESTER, PENN STATE BEHREND

Connor Priester was introduced to the AMCC in the Spring of 2016 as he officially got his career underway as a member of the Medaille College baseball team. His freshman year would see him appear in 31-of-34 games with 27 starts split between shortstop and second base. 

In his sophomore year, Priester nearly doubled his total hits from the year prior, having 32 hits, 22 RBI and 20 runs scored while starting all 39 games for the Mavericks. The Mavs finished with a conference record of 8-8 that year, the best the program has seen since the 2011 season, but narrowly missing playoffs being on the wrong end of a three-way tiebreaker. 

Off the field, Priester began to intern with the Medaille athletic department during his junior year. On top of his responsibilities as an intern, he helped host an on-campus radio show and podcast that was centered around Medaille athletics. The show often hosted guests such as athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty and more, all while wrapping up the week in Mavericks sports and highlighting accomplishments and achievements. 

Priester’s senior year brought more success, both on and off the field. Continuing to intern, he began broadcasting games, producing and narrating postgame highlight videos and assisting the sports information office with daily tasks. 

On the field, Priester ended his career in 2019 as an AMCC Second Team All-Conference selection, tied for 11th in the conference in batting average, hitting .361 while starting all 28 games. At the conclusion of his senior year, he ranked third in Medaille history in games started and games played and 12th in hits. On April 10, 2019, Priester recorded his 100th hit at Penn State Behrend during a conference double-header with his current employer. 

Priester became the 16th member of the Medaille 100-hit club and posted 112 over his four-year career. Following the 2018-19 academic year, he was awarded his second Team First award, given to the athlete from each team who shows selflessness and a team-first mindset as well as a distinguished award for his efforts in going above and beyond to help the athletic department throughout the duration of his internship. 

In September 2021, Priester was hired as the Assistant Sports Information Director and Director of Summer Camps at Penn State Behrend following two years as an Assistant SID at his alma mater, Medaille. He graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in sport Management with a minor in communications. 

The Then & Now Series is part of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference’s 25th anniversary, where the conference will be recognizing current AMCC coaches and/or athletic administrators who are former AMCC student-athletes. The Then & Now Series will run every Tuesday throughout the academic year.