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Marist College

Marist Athletics Department
 McCann Center 3399 North Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Division 1 New York Northeast
Private Medium National competitor
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Joe Ausanio

Extension 2326


Joe Ausanio is in his 16th season as head coach of the Marist softball program in 2024. A former Major League Baseball player, Ausanio has transformed the Red Foxes into a consistent winner while his student-athletes have earned numerous accolades on the playing field and in the classroom.


MARIST HIGHLIGHTS

Team has made three NCAA Regional appearances (2013, 2016, 2023).

Three MAAC regular-season championships (2014, 2016, 2019).

Three-time MAAC Coach of the Year (2011, 2016, 2019).

Named to MAAC 40th Anniversary Team as one of three head coaches.

2016 team set program record with 45 wins.

Team had seven straight winning seasons from 2011-17.

Is winningest coach (395 wins through 2023) and longest-tenured (15 years through 2023) in program history.

Previously had served as the program’s pitching coach in 2007.


MAAC AWARDS

Player of the Year (2): 2023 - Maddie Pleasants, 2009 – Melissa Giordano..

Pitcher of the Year (2): 2016 – Jayne Oberdorf, 2015 – Melanie White.

Rookie of the Year (8): 2023 - Haley Ahr, 2022 - Maddie Pleasants (Co-Rookie), 2019 - Calista Phippen (Co-Rookie), 2018 - Caroline Baratta, 2016 – Claire Oberdorf, 2013 – Nicole Cheek, 2009 – Nicole DiVirgilio (Co-Rookie).

Defensive Player of the Year (4): 2022 - Caroline Baratta, 2021 - Caroline Baratta, 2018 - Brittany Colombo, 2016 – Kyrsten Van Natta.

First Team All-MAAC selections (29): 2023 - Haley Ahr, Maddie Pleasants; 2022 - Caroline Baratta, Miah McDonald; 2021 - Caroline Baratta, Kaley Coltrain; 2019 - Caroline Baratta, Ali Milam, Calista Phippen; 2018 - Caroline Baratta, Ali Milam; 2017 – Rebecca Freeman, Janna Korak, Kourtney Paul; 2016 – Jayne Oberdorf, Claire Oberdorf, Kyrsten Van Natta, Maureen Duddy; 2015 – Melanie White; 2014 – Kyrsten Van Natta, Taylor Kuzma; 2013 – Danielle Koltz, Nicole Cheek; 2012 – Alyssa Zahka, Ashley Corriss; 2011 – Nicole DiVirgilio; 2009 – Melissa Giordano, Jessica Green, Caitlin Carpentier.

Second Team All-MAAC selections (35): 2023 - Sam Freeland, Peyton Pusey, Kiley Myers; 2022 - Alyssa Grupp, Calista Phippen, Shea Walsh; 2021 - Ali Milam, Calista Phippen; 2019 - Kaley Coltrain, Brandi Coon, Claire Oberdorf; 2018 - Claire Oberdorf; 2017 – Brandi Coon, Gabrielle Kelliher; 2016 – Janna Korak, Colleen McWilliams, Gabrielle Kelliher, Jessica Van Alphen; 2015 – Maureen Duddy, Kyrsten Van Natta, Colleen McWilliams, Janine Lalli; 2014 – Maureen Duddy, Janna Korak; 2013 – Alyssa Zahka, Emily Osterhaus; 2012 – Megan Lamoureux, Nicole DiVirgilio, Danielle Koltz; 2011 – Megan Lamoureux, Ashley Corriss, Sarah Carmody, Emily Osterhaus; 2010 – Nicole DiVirgilio; 2009 – Nicole DiVirgilio.

All-MAAC Rookie selections (13): 2023 - Haley Ahr, Peyton Pusey; 2022 - Maddie Pleasants, 2021 - Miah McDonald; 2019 - Calista Phippen, Kaley Coltrain; 2018 - Caroline Baratta; 2016 – Claire Oberdorf, Megan Beiermeister, Brandi Coon, Casey Page; 2015 – Gabrielle Kelliher, Samantha Reilly.


NFCA AWARDS

Calista Phippen named to Top 25 NFCA Freshman list in 2019.

Claire Oberdorf named to Top 10 NFCA Freshman list in 2016.

NFCA All-Region selections (17): 2023 - Haley Ahr (Second Team), Kiley Myers (Second Team), Maddie Pleasants (Second Team), Peyton Pusey (Second Team), Sam Freeland (Third Team); 2019 - Calista Phippen (Second Team), Ali Milam (Second Team), Kaley Coltrain (Third Team); 2018 - Ali Milam (Second Team); 2017 – Janna Korak (First Team), Brandi Coon (Second Team), Gabrielle Kelliher (Second Team); 2016 – Claire Oberdorf (First Team), Jayne Oberdorf (First Team), Maureen Duddy (Second Team), Kyrsten Van Natta (Second Team); 2009 – Melissa Giordano (First Team).


ACADEMIC SUCCESS

Academic All-American selections (2): 2017 – Gabrielle Kelliher (Second Team), 2009 – Melissa Giordano (Third Team).

CSC/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team selections (19): 2023 - Alyssa Grupp, Kaitlyn Husic, Kiley Myers, Calista Phippen, Shea Walsh; 2022 - Caroline Baratta, Calista Phippen, Shea Walsh; 2021 - Caroline Baratta, Shea Walsh; 2019 - Brandi Coon (First Team); 2018 - Brandi Coon (First Team); 2017 – Brandi Coon (First Team), Gabrielle Kelliher (First Team); 2016 – Gabrielle Kelliher (First Team), Kyrsten Van Natta (First Team); 2012 – Sarah Carmody (First Team); 2011 – Sarah Carmody (Second Team); 2009 – Melissa Giordano (First Team).

139 MAAC All-Academic Team selections.

BASEBALL PLAYING CAREER

Pitched in the Major Leagues in 1994 and 1995 as a reliever for the New York Yankees. Appeared in 41 career games with a 4-1 record and one save. His first Major League strikeout occurred against Alex Rodriguez. Teammates included Wade Boggs, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Mariano Rivera, and Bernie Williams.

Pitched professionally from 1988 through 1997. In addition to the Yankees, he also pitched in the organizations of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, and Colorado Rockies.

Following retirement, was invited to Yankees’ batting practice to throw a knuckleball when the team was preparing to face knuckleballer Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox.

Was drafted twice – by the Atlanta Braves (1984, 30th round) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1988, 11th round).

Played collegiately at Jacksonville (1985-88). Graduated as the program’s all-time leader in saves and appearances.


PERSONAL

Earned a B.S. from Jacksonville University in Kinesiology.

Native of Kingston, NY.

Joe and his wife, Caroline, reside in New Windsor, NY. Together, they have four children: Joey, Kevin, Michael, and Christina.

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Kristin Erb

Extension 3793


Kristin Erb was hired as assistant softball coach at Marist in September 2021. Erb works several areas of the program, including the team's pitchers.


In 2023, Erb helped the Red Foxes win their third MAAC championship in program history. Kiley Myers was named the Most Valuable Player of the MAAC Championship, and was named Second Team All-MAAC and Second Team All-Region. The Red Foxes set a program record with five All-Region selections.


In the 2022 season, while the pitching staff navigated multiple injuries, Calista Phippen was named Second Team All-MAAC, and Maddie Pleasants was named MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year and was a MAAC All-Rookie Team selection.


Erb had previously worked at Coastal Carolina on Kelley Green’s staff from 2012-21. With the Chanticleers, she worked with multiple facets of the program, including the development of the pitching staff, outfield defense, and offensive aspects including working with hitters, slap hitters, and baserunning technique.


In 10 seasons, Erb has helped Green’s squads to a 249-187 overall record with a Big South regular-season championship and seven conference tournament appearances (four Big South, three Sun Belt).


In 2020, Erb mentored junior transfer Makiya Thomas to being the first player in school history to lead the Sun Belt with a .463 batting average. Fellow Chants, sophomore Abbey Montoya and freshman Peyton Rivas round out the top five in the same category.


Home run hitting was a part of the CCU offensive attack in 2018 and 2019 where the Chanticleer hitters were ranked in the top-20 of the nation of home runs. In 2018, they ranked third in the country with 1.39 home runs per game while the Courtney Dean tied the Sun Belt lead with 15 home runs. Dean followed up in 2019 just behind teammate Kassidy Smith (15) for the conference’s top mark with 13 long balls. The 2019 Chanticleer team was eighth in the nation in total home runs behind Arizona, Florida State, James Madison, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, and Alabama.


From 2014-2017, the Coastal assistant worked with Chanticleer pitchers Kiana Quolas, Ashley, Bagwell, Kelsey Dominik, and Ashley Guillette.


Under Erb’s guidance, Quolas had 67 wins as she was awarded as a two-time NFCA All-Region selection, the two-time Big South Pitcher of the Year, three-time All-Big South Conference selection. In 2014, Quolas led the Chants to the NCAA Softball Tournament with the second-most wins in a single-season school history (27), and the eighth-best earned run average in the country of 1.29, the fourth-best in school history at the time. The Chanticleers finished 2014 with a 1.61 team ERA, ranking as the sixth-lowest in the NCAA.


Ashley Bagwell also helped Quolas and the Chants in 2014 with a All-Big South first-team selection when she posted a career-best 2.01 ERA.


Two-year starter Kelsey Dominik transferred in from Temple after two years with the Owls and added 14 wins in 2015 and followed it up in 2016 with 19, the fourth-best Big South Conference.


In three seasons working with Erb, Guillette amassed 38 wins. In her first career start in 2016, Guillette tied the school single-game strikeout record against NC State when she fanned 13 Wolfpack batters. 2016 also saw Guillette throw a no-hit victory over No. 3-seed Liberty in the Big South Tournament quarterfinals.


Erb joined the Chanticleer staff after spending the 2012 season at James Madison University where she served as the pitching coach and was responsible for all coaching aspects of the pitching staff as well as working with the catchers in the development of game-calling strategies. In 2012, under the direction of Erb, the Dukes pitching staff produced eight shutouts while lowering the team ERA from 3.67 in 2011 to 3.03. In addition, the pitching staff lowered opponents’ batting average 25 points over the previous year and produced 50 more strikeouts.


Before joining the staff at James Madison, Erb served a one-year stint as the pitching coach at Austin Peay and oversaw all aspects of the team’s pitching staff, including developing in-season and off-season pitching workouts and charting the pitching staff for evaluation. Erb also spent a season as an assistant coach with Lock Haven University, where she worked with the team’s pitchers and catchers and also served as the first base coach.


As a player at Lock Haven, Erb amassed one of the greatest playing careers of any Division II softball player in history. She went 168-18 with a 0.389 ERA while recording 1,388 strikeouts and 100 shutouts. She ranks first in Division II history in victories, single-season wins (50), shutouts, games started (171), innings pitched (1,240) and consecutive scoreless innings pitched (86 1/3). In addition, she threw seven career perfect games and 13 no-hitters while being named a four-time NFCA All-American. She was a two-time winner of the Division II Honda Award for National Player of the Year and a three-time Daktronics Pitcher of the Year.


After finishing her playing career for the Eagles, the Reading, Pa., native spent two seasons playing in the NPF, formerly the Women’s Pro Softball League. In 2009 she led the Philadelphia Force in wins, ERA and innings pitched and in 2010 she was second on the Tennessee Diamonds in ERA and innings pitched.


Erb graduated from Lock Haven University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration.

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Caroline Baratta

Caroline Baratta was hired as assistant softball coach in July of 2022 after an outstanding five-year playing career for the Red Foxes in which she cemented her place as one of the top student-athletes in program history.


In the 2023 season, Baratta helped the Red Foxes win the third MAAC championship in program history.


In her playing career, Baratta was a five-year starter at shortstop who played in all 217 of the Red Foxes' games since 2018, with 213 consecutive starts. She earned the following accolades:


MAAC

Defensive Player of the Year, '21 & '22 (first softball player to win this award twice in MAAC history).

First Team, '18, '19, '21, '22 (first Marist softball player to be First Team All-MAAC four times in her career in over 20 years).

Rookie of the Year, '18.

All-Championship Team, '21.

Five-time weekly award winner (two-time Player of the Week, '22; three-time Rookie of the Week, '18).

Honorable Mention for MAAC Female Student-Athlete of the Year, '22.

MAAC All-Academic Team & Academic Honor Roll every year eligible.

MAAC Student-Athlete of the Week, March 30, 2022.


MARIST

Marist's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, '22.

Program's all-time hits leader (241).

Program's single-season record holder for assists (164, in '18).

Ranks in program's top four all-time in seven total categories (hits, games played, doubles, runs, assists, stolen bases, and triples).

Three-year team captain.

Dean's List selection all eight semesters as an undergraduate.


REGIONAL

CoSIDA Academic All-District, '21 & '22.

All-ECAC Honorable Mention, '22.


Baratta majored in Business Administration and earned her Bachelor's degree in 2021. She started her MBA in the 2021-22 school year, and will continue it in 2022-23.


Baratta is a native of Gladstone, New Jersey.

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