Former Shortstop Becomes Coach

After two years of playing for the Hawks, Jesse Marsh is making the transition from shortstop to assistant coach for the 2009 baseball season. The Marlboro, NY native graduated high school in 2004 and spent the first two years of his college baseball career playing first base for the Falcons of Dutchess Community College. After his stint with the Falcons, Marsh transferred to New Paltz to play for the Hawks. Head baseball coach Matt Griffiths said, "Jesse came in ready to play. He filled the shortstop position and made the team better since day one."

While playing for the Hawks, Marsh batted a very solid .330 average in the lead-off spot. His senior year, the shortstop was named team captain by Coach Griffith who said, "I have always noticed Jesse's leadership quality. He is a vocal leader and all of the younger players look up to him." These qualities along with his knowledge of the program made him the perfect fit for the assistant coaching job.When asked about entering his first season as a coach, Marsh responded, "Over the summer I was very excited. Coming into the season when you’re playing you know what to expect, but this is all so new." As for his personal expectations, Coach Marsh, who holds a Bachelors degree in elementary education with a history concentration, hopes to take in as much as he can and learn from everything. He feels that playing for the Hawks will help his coaching because he now knows the ins and outs of the program. This year, Marsh gets to see things from a different angle and will be able to pinpoint what needs to be worked on in order for the team to become successful.This season, the Hawks are a very young team, which is a change from the previous year when they were ripe with upperclassmen. Coach Marsh recognized the team's youth and said, "I hope to spend a lot more time teaching then last year. Since we’re a lot younger this year, we’re going to have to go over and find out what we have at each spot."
The Hawks are currently engaged in their fall season and, so far, the team has reacted positively to Marsh as their assistant coach. Sophomore second baseman, Mike Fasolo, points out that, "Having Jesse as a coach this season after playing with him last year isn't that different. He is a great leader and I have always listened to everything he said as if he was always a coach."Even though the transition from player to coach can be a daunting one, it seems as though Coach Marsh is having no problem making the adjustment. The experience may be new and at some times challenging, but Coach Marsh said, "It is exciting [and] I'm enjoying it so far."