LANGHORNE, PA – After a national search, Director of Athletics Jay Butler and the Cairn University Baseball program are excited to announce the hiring of former assistant coach and Highlander alumnus Brett Marks as the next head coach of the program.
Marks has served as both a graduate assistant and an assistant coach for Cairn baseball since the fall of 2019. He was promoted to the primary hitting coach, as well as overseeing the infield, in the fall of 2020 upon the departure of former head coach Phill Shallenberger and served in that capacity during the 2020-21 season. During Marks' stint as an assistant coach in 2021, the Highlanders went 11-9 and 8-4 in conference, securing their second consecutive conference postseason appearance. Under Marks' tutelage, several Highlanders produced stellar seasons at the plate. Joshua Melchior, Brian Amantia Jr., Quinton Pertkiewicz, Caleb Edman, and Samuel Spadea were all named All-CSAC for their hitting performances, and Edman's .442 season average, just shy of the Cairn all-time individual season record, earned him an appearance on both the Philadelphia Baseball Review's DIII Team of the Year and the D3Baseball.com All Mid-Atlantic team.
Prior to joining the coaching staff at Cairn, Marks was a four-year member of the baseball program from 2016-19 and was a key player in the development of Cairn baseball into an annual CSAC contender. Over his career, Marks set nearly every defensive record for catchers in Cairn baseball history, including throwing out 49 runners, 19 more than the next closest catcher. Marks also hit .316 over his career and had a career-high .357 BA his senior year to lead Cairn to their first-ever CSAC postseason appearance. Because of his stellar career, Marks was named first-team catcher on Cairn Baseball's All-Decade team for the 2010s.
Marks also has prior coaching and playing experience with the Miami Marlins Foundation in their RBI program. As a player, Marks advanced to the RBI World Series Championship in both 2014 and 15, winning it all in 2015. During his college playing career, Marks returned to the Marlins RBI program as a coach, leading the Juniors team to the World Series in 2019.
Athletic Director Jay Butler remarked on Marks' hiring: "We are excited to welcome Brett into our head coaching family. He has a great history with Cairn University as a student-athlete and assistant coach. His passion for Cairn University and the Highlander Baseball program is contagious. We look forward to his leadership and desire to build on the successes of the Cairn Highlander Baseball program."
Marks contributed this statement as he takes the reigns of the program: "I just feel extremely blessed with this opportunity to mentor and coach this team. I've been there: I've been in their shoes, I know what it's like be a student athlete at Cairn, and I know what it means to walk a different path. Now I have the ability to pour into each and every guy on our roster the same way I was poured into when I played for this team.
This team is on the path for incredible success. The past two seasons alone we have been in contention for a CSAC title and my goal is to make that a reality. I've seen this program built from the ground up since my freshman year - we have to keep working hard and, most importantly, pursuing Christ to be successful.
The way this story has played out to me is incredibly special. My alma mater will always have a special place in my heart, especially this team. I give all the glory to God for this opportunity and I am so excited to see where this next season takes us. Go Cairn!"
After a 2021 campaign that ended in the CSAC postseason semifinals, Marks will look to build on the recent success of Cairn baseball and hopefully claim that elusive CSAC championship crown. For further updates on Cairn baseball over the summer and fall, continue to check out cairnhighlanders.com and our social media channels!