Aoki joined Richmond in June 2023, bringing more than 20 years of head coaching experience and over 500 career wins to the Spiders.
He came to UR from Morehead State, where in 2023 he guided the Eagles to a 36-20 record and the outright Ohio Valley Conference regular title, the first for the program since 1979. Morehead State’s 36 wins were tied for fourth-most in school history and marked the third straight year the Eagles increased their win total from the previous season.
Aoki served as the head coach at Notre Dame for nine seasons from from 2010-19, when he oversaw the program’s transition from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference. In their final Big East season in 2013, Aoki guided Notre Dame to a 34-24 record and a runner-up finish in the Big East Tournament. In the program’s second ACC season in 2015, the Irish finished 37-23 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.
Aoki spent seven seasons at Boston College as both an assistant and head coach, leading BC to some of the most successful seasons in program history. In 2009 — the third of Aoki’s four seasons as head coach — the Eagles won 34 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1967. From 2004 to 2006, Aoki served as BC’s pitching coach. He helped BC to a program-record 37 wins in 2005 and had six Eagles pitchers drafted by MLB clubs.