In his senior year, he was named a co-captain and helped to lead the Huskies to victory in the 1994 Big East Conference baseball tournament.
The Huskies finished with a 26–19 record and won the Big East Tournament before losing to Georgia Tech and Long Beach State in the NCAA Regionals and being eliminated.
Penders won the Big East Coach of the Year honors in 2006, 2010 and 2011, taking the Huskies to the NCAA tournament in each of those three seasons.
Penders, Sr. was the head baseball coach at East Catholic High School from 1969 to 2012 and won four state championships.
[6] His grandfather, Jim, was the head baseball coach at Stratford High School from 1931 to 1968 and won four state championships.