Scranton, PA - Jason Thiel '03 was named Head Baseball Coach at his alma mater on May 17, 2016 according to Dr. Mary Jo Gunning after serving as Interim Co-Head Coach of the team since March 22 with now Assistant Coach Joe Diskin. Diskin will remain on the staff as Assistant Coach.
Thiel was originally hired as Assistant Baseball Coach with the Pacers prior the 2014 season after previously serving as a volunteer coach.
A native of Scranton, Thiel was a three year starting shortstop for the Scranton Knights and helped lead them to a league championship in 1996 while being selected to the all-star game later that year.
Thiel enrolled at Lackawanna College for the 1996-1998 seasons and became a two year starting shortstop. In 1998 Thiel lead the Falcons to a Top-15 NJCAA ranking, back-to-back 20-win seasons and Region XIX post season tournament appearances.
Thiel was selected to play for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Twins of the Atlantic Collegiate baseball League (ACBL) for the 1998 and 1999 seasons. A highly competitive wooden bat league comprised of mainly Division I and II athletes, Thiel was the starting shortstop for two years and was amongst the league leaders with a .402 batting average in the 1999 season.
Thiel joined Marywood University or the 1999 and 2000 seasons where he was a two year starting shortstop. Thiel helped the Pacers go from 21 total victories and eight conference wins in the four years prior to his arrival to 32 victories and 12 conference wins in his two years with the Pacers.
Thiel led the Pacers to the most wins in a season by the time he graduated. Thiel left as the leader in most runs scored in a season, most singles in a game, tied with most hits in a game, most assists in a game, most assist in a season and also helped with most teams wins in a season and most conference wins in a season. Thiel also pitched 2 innings while striking out five to help set a school record for strikeouts in a game with 20 versus the University of Scranton Royals in 2000.
Thiel holds an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts from Lackawanna College and Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Marywood University. He resides in Scranton with his wife Corinne and two children and currently works as an admissions counselor at Marywood University.
Diskin, a 2011 graduate of Marywood with a degree in Health and Physical Education, was a three time all-conference selection and team MVP. Diskin was named All-Conference second team in both 2008 and 2009 and to the Honorable Mention squad in 2011, when he was also the team's most valuable player.
In 2008, Diskin set a school single season record with 17 stolen bases then broke his own record in 2009 with 19, a record that still stands today.
A career .335 hitter, Diskin started in 115 of the 128 games he played in during his four year career at second base and started and played in all 65 games during his junior and senior seasons.
A native of Clarks Summit, Diskin was a three sport athlete for the Abington Heights Comets. He played football, basketball, and baseball. Diskin is the second of three brothers to play at Marywood. His brother Pat was a four year starting catcher and graduated in 2009. His younger brother was a four year starter in the outfield and graduated in 2014.
Diskin currently resides in Clarks Summit and currently works in the Scranton School District. Diskin is also a coach in the East Coast Sand Hogs travel organization.