Youngstown State releases Rich Pasquale as baseball coach

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Pasquale

Staff report

Youngstown

Rich Pasquale has been relieved as head baseball coach at Youngstown State.

Athletic director Ron Strollo made the announcement on Thursday in a release.

A national search to replace Pasquale, who was the Penguins’ coach from 2008-12, will begin immediately.

“I want to thank Rich for his service to our department, the university and the community in his five seasons as our head baseball coach,” Strollo said in the release.

“We experienced several successes under his direction, and we are looking forward to experiencing many successes in the future.

“The expectation for all of our programs is to compete for championships, and I’m confident that we have made significant strides to place our baseball program at that level. We have very attractive facilities in Eastwood Field and the Watson and Tressel Training Site, and, combined with enhanced resources, we feel strongly that this program can attain success quickly,” Strollo added.

The Penguins went 86-187 under Pasquale. They were 11-44 in 2012 but finished third in the Horizon League tournament.

“I appreciate the opportunity that Youngstown State gave me to coach at the Division I level,” Pasquale said. “I was fortunate to coach and develop some great young men both on and off the field, and I thoroughly enjoyed who I worked with.”

Pasquale was the Horizon League co-coach of the year in 2008 when the Penguins won 23 wins and were 13-12 in league play, were both highs for his tenure.

Three YSU players were drafted during Pasquale’s tenure, including two in the same season for the first time in program history. Seven players earned first-team all-league accolades.