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Rich
Pasquale
Head Coach
First Year
(Francis Marion, 1991)
Rich
Pasquale, an energetic coach who was
most recently the top assistant at
Slippery Rock, was named the
seventh head baseball coach at
Youngstown State University on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
Prior his stint at
Slippery Rock, Pasquale led a
drastic turnaround at La Roche
College in Pittsburgh, Pa., and he
was an assistant for three seasons
at the University of Pittsburgh.
Pasquale has also spent his entire
coaching career in Western
Pennsylvania establishing
relationships that will be key in
recruiting.
Last
season Pasquale helped veteran head
coach Jeff Messer lead The Rock to a
35-17 record. A coach recognized for
his hitting and fielding
instruction, Pasquale helped SRU to
a .322 batting average. Four players
hit over .360, including Third-Team
All-America selection Matt Adams and
Honorable Mention All-America pick
M.J. Parsons.
At
Division III La Roche, Pasquale led
a complete rebirth for a Redhawks
team that had won just 24 games in
the five years prior to his arrival.
In four years (2003-06) he led the
program to 84 wins and three
straight berths in the Allegheny
Mountain Collegiate Conference
playoffs.
In his
first year La Roche won 14 games,
which was more than the previous two
years combined. With a totally
revamped roster, La Roche won 18
games in 2004 and qualified for the
AMCC playoffs for the first time in
12 years. Pasquale coached six
all-conference players and guided
the Redhawks to a national No. 23
ranking in fielding percentage to be
named the AMCC Coach of the Year.
Pasquale’s 2005 team was the first
in school history to win nine
conference games and win two games
in the conference tournament. The
Redhawks were also ranked 15th in
the country in ERA. In his final
season, La Roche set the school wins
record with 28 and went 13-5 in
conference play.
Pasquale also served as the sports
information director and a physical
education instructor at La Roche.
Prior
to his stint at La Roche, he coached
at the University of Pittsburgh from
2000 to 2002 and Penn State Beaver
from 1996-99.
During
his first year at Pittsburgh in
2000, the Panthers went 31-24 and
had two players drafted. Third
baseman Joe Lydic was drafted in the
seventh round and pitcher Jory
Coughenour was selected in the 20th
round. In his final year in 2002,
first baseman Brant Colamarino was
selected in the seventh round and
pitcher Eric Ackerman was picked in
the 16th round. Brad Rea also signed
as a free agent with the Pittsburgh
Pirates in 2003 after a year in the
Frontier League. The Panthers finished with a record of 36-16-1
and won what was then a
school-record 14 Big East games.
Pasquale has also worked camps as an
infield and hitting instructor at
Clemson and Slippery Rock.
Pasquale got his coaching start at
Penn State Beaver in 1995 and stayed
there until 1999. As an infield and
hitting coach, PSU Beaver appeared
in the NJCAA Division III World
Series in 1997 and 1999, and the
team was the Region 20 Champions
four times in his five years.
Pasquale served as the acting
athletic director, director of
intramural and recreation sports and
facilities coordinator at PSU
Beaver.
Pasquale has vast experience as an
administrator. He was an Assistant
to the Athletic Director and
Compliance Officer at Slippery Rock,
and he was the Facilities Manager of
Jack Critchfield Park for the
Slippery Rock Sliders of the
Frontier League.
Pasquale has also served as a scout
for the Cleveland Indians since
November 2005.|
After
playing at PSU Beaver for two
seasons, Pasquale had a heralded
playing career at Francis Marion
University in Florence, S.C. As a
senior he batted .322 with 52 runs
scored in 47 games to earn NAIA
Honorable Mention All-America
honors. He was also a unanimous
selection to the NAIA All-District
and an All-Area honoree covering
seven states as a senior.
Pasquale earned a
Bachelor of Science degree in
sociology from Francis Marion in
1991.
Pasquale and his wife, Mindy, have three
children – 8-year-old Dominic,
6-year-old Maura and 1-year-old
Kara. He is also the nephew of
former Cleveland Indians first
baseman Tito Francona and cousin of
Boston Red Sox manager Terry
Francona.
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