Dan Lipari, who spent last season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Youngstown State U. baseball team, was recently named assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Replacing his older brother, Tom, who took a pitching coach position with U. Pittsburgh, Lipari will fulfill similar duties.
Head coach Rich Pasquale, who made the decision, chose Lipari for his organizational skills and the quality of work he put in with the pitchers last season.
“Our players, especially the pitchers, all respected Coach Lipari’s knowledge. He’s an up and comer in [Division I]. He’s very positive, and I’m encouraged with how he handled the day-to-day last year,” Pasquale said. “He’s got a passion for the game, and I can trust him. He comes from a good baseball family and gets things done. He does them the right way. When he goes around recruiting, he’s a very good representation of the program. I’m comfortable with him.”
Eric Marzec and Aaron Swenson, who were signed to professional contracts, contacted Pasquale and suggested the younger Lipari for the vacant position, solidifying Pasquale’s decision.
Lipari began to draw attention over the summer for his performance as a coach of the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers in the Northwoods Summer Collegiate League.
“That was a great experience. I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Lipari said.
“Brainerd was a great opportunity, but where I want to be, I eventually want to have my own college program. For that to happen, I need to stay in the NCAA, and I need recruiting experience.”
The manager of the Brainerd organization offered Lipari a managerial position, which Lipari declined because he would be “unable to keep a recruiting position.”
Pasquale pointed out how remarkable Lipari’s performance was, given the inability to work pitchers as hard due to pitch counts and their college coach’s stipulations.
Looking forward, Lipari said he’s optimistic.
“From a pitching standpoint, there’s a lot of young guys. Last season we had three true freshmen have over 20 appearances,” Lipari said. “As for the older guys, they know what to expect. They know their time with Youngstown State baseball won’t last, they will make the most of it.”