Sept. 23, 2003

Poughkeepsie, NY - Marist College Director of Athletics Tim Murray announced the hiring of Joseph Raccuia as head baseball coach on Sept. 16. Raccuia is the fourth head coach in the history of varsity baseball at Marist.

"I am excited to have someone of Joe's experience and talent joining the Marist College family," said Murray. "I have confidence that Joe will continue to develop the competitiveness of our baseball program."

Raccuia comes to Marist after spending four years at George Mason University, the last as the program's associate head coach, and his first three as the head assistant coach. While at George Mason, Raccuia helped the Patriots set a single-season record for fielding percentage at .970 in 2003. Jeff Palumbo was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year, and three Patriots were selected to the All-CAA teams.

During his time at George Mason, six players were drafted or moved onto professional baseball. In three recruiting classes, Raccuia brought in three freshmen All-Americans, as well as signing two high school draft picks (third and 25th rounds). The 2002 baseball team at George Mason set a school record for stolen bases, as well as posting the highest GPA of any male program in the athletic department.

Prior to his time at George Mason, Raccuia spent three seasons at The George Washington University as head assistant coach. While at GW he coached or recruited 12 players who were drafted or moved onto professional baseball, as well as helping 14 players earn all-conference recognition. The 1998 team set a school record for wins and had the fourth-best turnaround in NCAA Division I. His final two seasons at GW saw the team set new offensive records in hits, home runs, doubles, runs and RBIs.

Raccuia's coaching career began at his alma mater, Radford, where he coached the 1996 season. He played two seasons at Radford, helping the baseball team to a school-record win total as a junior, and serving as team captain his senior season. Raccuia began his playing career at Edison Community College, in Ft. Myers, FL, serving as captain his second year, after again helping the team to a school-record win total in his first season.