We have spent the last week spotlighting prospects who will be participating in the PA Underclass Games at Consol Energy Park in Washington, PA (September 22 and 23) as well as those who will be participating in the PA Top Prospect Games at Metro Bank Park in Harrisburg, PA (October 6 and 7). Today we shift gears to spotlight our staff that does the scouting, evaluating and promoting of our players across the state. 

      Greg Williams            Pennsylvania Director of Scouting
                                         [email protected]

Greg Williams is Pennsylvania’s Director of Scouting and oversees the day to day operations of PBR in the commonwealth. Williams was a four year starter in the outfield for Slippery Rock University, acting as the captain of the 1989 Division II third place team that won 42 games. Williams was an All-PSAC performer that season, was a member of the North Atlantic Regional All-Tournament Team and was named to the Division II World Series All-Tournament Team as well. He has spent the past 25 years involved in the game. Williams worked in the Houston Astros Organization, coached high school baseball in Florida and Pennsylvania, and most recently was a full time high school athletic administrator. During his tenure as the head coach at Meadville HS, Williams led the Bulldogs to a 66-35 overall record, and the only two District 10 Championships in school history in 2002 and 2003.

     Shaun Vernesoni          Pennsylvania Assistant Director of Scouting
                                          [email protected]

Shaun Vernesoni is the acting Director of Scouting for Western PA, but will be making the move to the eastern half of the state in a month’s time to assist with scouting the talent in the east. Vernesoni finished his college playing days this past spring at Fairmont State where he led catchers in all divisions of NCAA baseball in throwing efficiency for the 2012 campaign. He had 35 assists on the season and threw out an impressive 21-of-32 runners trying to steal. He acted as the Team Captain at Fairmont State in each of the last two years and was named Team MVP following the 2012 season. Vernesoni also played at one of the premier junior colleges in the country (Calhoun Community College - Decatur, AL) as well as at West Virginia State during his college playing career.

      Marc Shoenfelt            Eastern Pennsylvania Director of Scouting
                                          [email protected]

Marc Shoenfelt is the Director of Scouting for Eastern PA and an Associate Scout for the Chicago Cubs. Marc is the founder and President of B2B Baseball & Softball Academy which has two indoor facilities located in Manheim and Palmyra. Shoenfelt played at Division I University of Louisiana Monroe for two years and lettered both years at shortstop. He transferred to Division II powerhouse Mansfield University of PA in 1992-93 and was on the team that won two PSAC and regional championships, advancing to the College World Series both years. His senior year the team was ranked in the top five in the nation, and won the national batting title that year with a .371 team batting average. Marc speaks internationally to coaches and players on baseball. He has written a book/DVD entitled "Baseball's Forgotten Basics", and wrote for two baseball publications: Baseball Youth Magazine and Canada's international Little League Newsletter "7th Inning Stretch". Marc also is a 2009 graduate of MLB Scout School held by the MLB Scouting Bureau. He has appeared on FOX Sports Radio and been interviewed by Michael Barkann on Comcast Sportsnet. He does the color commentary on TV for high school baseball and the minor league Lancaster Barnstormers.

            Jake Oswalt               Central Pennsylvania Director of Scouting
                                              [email protected]

Jake Oswalt has recently joined the PBR Pennsylvania staff as the Director of Scouting for Central PA. Oswalt was a four-year starter at Slippery Rock University and was a 2010 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pre-season All-America selection. He was a teammate and roommate of former Slippery Rock University standout Matt Adams, who was recently called up to play first base for the St. Louis Cardinals.

                                              EVENT STAFF:

                Mark Mason           Pennsylvania Event Manager
                                              [email protected]

Mark Mason spent the past summer interning with PBR and did a fantastic job. He is a senior at California University of Pennsylvania majoring in sports management. Mark played collegiate baseball at Limestone College in South Carolina prior to transferring to California. Moving forward, Mark will be in charge of event management for PBR Pennsylvania.

            Joe Hruska                Showcase Evaluator

Joe Hruska has spent the past seven years as the head coach for the Meadville High School and Meadville American Legion baseball teams. Hruska has helped nearly 20 players advance to the college ranks during his tenure in Meadville. As a high school player, he pitched and played shortstop for his Linesville High School team which advanced to the PIAA State Finals during his senior season. Hruska was a four year starter at Davis and Elkins College.

          Rich Pasquale              Showcase Evaluator

Rich Pasquale has served as a scout for the Cleveland Indians since November 2005 and was most recently Youngstown State's head baseball coach from 2007-2012. Pasquale, the seventh coach in YSU history, came to Penguin Country after spending a season as the top assistant coach at Division II Slippery Rock. Prior to that he led a drastic turnaround at Division III La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Pa., and he was an assistant for three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh.

Pasquale got his coaching start at Penn State Beaver in 1995 and stayed there until 1999. As an infield and hitting coach, PSU Beaver appeared in the NJCAA Division III World Series in 1997 and 1999, and the team was the Region 20 Champions four times in his five years. Pasquale served as the acting athletic director, director of intramural and recreation sports and facilities coordinator at PSU Beaver.

Pasquale has also worked camps as an infield and hitting instructor at Clemson and Slippery Rock.

Pasquale has vast experience as an administrator. He was an Assistant to the Athletic Director and Compliance Officer at Slippery Rock, and he was the Facilities Manager of Jack Critchfield Park for the Slippery Rock Sliders of the Frontier League.

After playing at PSU Beaver for two seasons, Pasquale had a heralded playing career at Francis Marion University in Florence, S.C. As a senior he batted .322 with 52 runs scored in 47 games to earn NAIA Honorable Mention All-America honors. He was also a unanimous selection to the NAIA All-District and an All-Area honoree covering seven states as a senior.