Ball State University's head baseball coach has had a busy summer, choosing his coaching staff in hopes of again winning the regular season Mid-American Conference West Division championship, as the team did last spring.
Greg Beals promoted pitching coach Mike Stafford to the top assistant coach position, and Alex Marconi joins the staff as another assistant coach. Stafford will also remain the pitching coach.
Under Stafford's direction last season, two pitchers made their way into the major leagues and are currently working their ways through minor league baseball. Freshman Ben Snyder was also named to the Louisvilled Slugger Freshman All-America Team and as the MAC Freshman of the Year, just the fourth Cardinal in Ball State history to receiver that distinction.
Erik Morrison signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees and is currently with the Single-A Long Island Yankees in the Yankees organization. Joe Ness was selected in the sixth round by the Cleveland Indians, and is currently with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, a Single-A team.
Marconi joins Ball State after spending the 2005 season as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of North Carolina. While at North Carolina, he worked with hitters and catchers, was the summer camp director, helped in on-campus recruiting and monitored each player's academic progress.
Marconi played for Beals when the Ball State head coach was an assistant at Kent State.
A former catcher at Kent State, Marconi was drafted in the 27th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He advanced to Triple-A in 2001, when he played for the Durham Bulls.
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