Rich Pasquale chosen as Youngstown State baseball coach
Oct. 30, 2007
Youngstown, Ohio - Rich Pasquale, an energetic coach who was most recently the top assistant at Slippery Rock, has been named the head baseball coach at Youngstown State University, YSU Executive Director of Athletics Ron Strollo announced on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
Pasquale, the seventh coach in school history, will assume the role immediately and begin working with a veteran team that features nine seniors.
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.
"It was very evident that Rich not only had a passion to not only be a Division I head coach, but also to be the head coach at Youngstown State," Strollo said.
"He fulfilled the requirements we were looking for to lead our baseball program," Strollo said. "Coach Pasquale had Division I experience at a top-level program, and he had a successful head coaching experience at La Roche."
Pasquale's excitement about the opportunity to take the reigns at Youngstown State is clear.
"When I was looking into the university, it was evident that the people here do things the right way," he said. "They really emphasize the 'student' part of student-athlete, and I was very impressed with that."
"Having the opportunity to coach at the highest level and having an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as part of the Horizon League was also very enticing."
Pasquale has 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. The Panthers also 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 and a master's in health and physical education from Madison University in Mississippi in 2006.
Pasquale is married and has three children - 7-year-old Dominic, 5-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.
