YSU to hire Jacksonville St. assistant as baseball coach

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Gillispie

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State is bringing one of the Ohio Valley Conference’s top baseball assistants to Ohio.

According to Prep Baseball Report, the Penguins will hire Jacksonville State coach Steve Gillispie as their next head baseball coach.

A YSU spokesman said he can neither confirm nor deny the report but that the school is hoping to announce the hiring of a coach soon. The school is planning a press conference for sometime next week.

When reached on Wednesday, Gillispie declined comment.

Gillispie replaces Rich Pasquale, who was fired after going 11-44 this season and 25-85 over the past two. The Penguins were 86-187 in his five years.

Gillispie has spent the past 11 years as an assistant at Jacksonville State, helping the Gamecocks win five OVC titles since joining the league in 2004. The Gamecocks went 28-30 this spring, snapping a streak of 10 straight 30-win seasons. Gillispie coached the hitters and outfielders and served as recruiting coordinator.

Gillispie graduated from Fort Hays State in Kansas, where he began his coaching career as the school’s head coach. He was hired as an assistant in 1990, where he earned his master’s degree. While with the Cornuhuskers, he recruited three first team All-Americans, including the top pick in the 1995 draft, Darin Erstad.