Two new faces recently joined the Benedictine baseball coaching staff.
Over the summer, head coach Doc Beeman brought in Matt Duval to coach the hitters and elevated student assistant and former Raven Ramesis Rosa to the role of pitching coach.
“I wanted to make sure there was a good balance of somebody who could recruit and somebody who was good for the institution,” Beeman said. “What it came down to with Coach Duval was Matt’s background was the best. Once I got him on board, I knew Coach Rosa was going to come back and get a second major as an undergrad and I said if I can elevate him and have him handle the pitching stuff, I can work with Coach Duval and still have a three-coach staff.”
The two new assistants replace Andres Padilla and Jerry Vickery. With both coaches earning MBA degrees at BC last spring, the two went their separate ways after the 2009 season. Padilla, who primarily handled Raven batters, took an assistant coaching job at Cochise College in Arizona. Vickery is currently seeking coaching opportunities in the St. Louis area.
Duval played college baseball in junior college for a year and spent each of the next three years playing at a different level of NCAA competition. The well-travelled coach already has coaching experience with three different baseball programs, coaching at Burlington County College in New Jersey and his alma mater, Mount Aloysius College. He joins the Ravens after working as a hitting instructor for seven months at the Carmen Fusco Pro Baseball Academy in Harrisburg, Pa.
“I played every level of college baseball you could possibly play at,” Duval said. “From junior college to Division I to Division II, Division III. I’m looking forward to getting back on the field after having a spring off.”
The 25-year-old said he hopes to not only help the Raven players develop, but enhance his own career as well.
“I’m looking forward to not only helping the kids out baseball-wise but on and off the field and also learning as much as I can from Coach Beeman to further my coaching career after the next two years whether I’m still here or pursuing another coaching job,” he said.
Rosa pitched for two years in junior college before going 16-8 for the Ravens during the ’06 and ’07 seasons. Before helping coach Benedictine’s pitching staff last year, he spent a season with the Laredo Broncos of the independent United League Baseball.
“I hope to get the kids ready to play in the spring, to pitch,” Rosa said. “I might play again whenever I’m done with school, or just look for a coaching job somewhere.”
Just like Vickery and Padilla, BC’s new coaches will take business classes during their coaching stints. Duval is working towards an MBA and Rosa, who already earned a Physical Education degree, will study Business Administration.
