Craig Appleby became the 19th head coach at Johns Hopkins in the 74-year history of the men's soccer program in July 2008 and promptly turned in one of the most successful seasons by a first-year head coach in program history. He guided the Blue Jays to a 13-5-5 record, the Centennial Conference title game and the NCAA Sweet 16 in his first campaign. Appleby is the only coach in Johns Hopkins and Centennial Conference men's soccer history to guide his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first season.

In Appleby's second season, the Blue Jays went 16-4-3, won their record eighth Centennial Conference title and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Hopkins lost to the eventual national champion, Messiah, in double overtime on the road. In 2010, he guided the Blue Jays to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the third straight time and a final record of 15-4-4 with a pair of wins over top 10 teams. The three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances are a program first. Hopkins made its 15th straight trip to the Centennial Conference Tournament, the only team to make all 15 tournaments, falling in the semifinals.

Appleby has coached 20 All-Centennial Conference selections, 3 Centennial Conference Players of the Year, 2 NSCAA All-Americans, 1 D3Soccer All-American, 5 Academic All-Americans, and 11 NSCAA All-Region players.