Marko begins his second season as a member of the Gannon coaching staff in 2017. He comes armed with over a decade of coaching experience at multiple levels, NCAA Division I playing experience and a resume that includes over 50 pitchers he tutored that were either drafted or signed a professional contract.
The Gannon pitching staff excelled during its first season under Marko in 2016. The Golden Knights ranked fourth among Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) staffs in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (9.84), fourth in shutouts (4) and sixth in WHIP (1.63).
The Chardon, Ohio, native previously spent time as an NCAA Division I pitching coach at the University of Buffalo and Youngstown State (Ohio) University where he also served as the recruiting coordinator. Marko started his coaching career at the University of Texas Pan American as the student assistant while he finished his degree, before moving to the University of Buffalo. From 2006-2008, he served as the pitching coach at National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I powerhouse Grayson County (Texas) College. At Grayson County College, he was in charge of a pitching staff that had a team earned run average of 2.99 in 2007 and helped win the NJCAA Division 1 National Championship in 2008. In addition to a pair of regional appearances, the Vikings won two conference championships and one NJCAA regional title during Marko’s tenure.
Prior to coming to Gannon, Marko served as the pitching coach for three seasons at Lake Erie (Ohio) College of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). School records set during that time included most victories in a season (32), lowest earned run average in school history and most conference tournament wins. Lake Erie advanced to the GLIAC Tournament championship game for the first time in 2014 and later made the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance. In 2013, the Storm pitchers set a program record with 304 strikeouts.
Outside of the traditional collegiate season, Marko has received rave reviews for his coaching throughout the years in several summer leagues. He served as a roving pitching coach at the IMG Academy college summer league for two seasons, a pitching coach for the Laconia Muskrats in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) for two seasons and a pitching coach in the Cape Cod Baseball League for three seasons with the Bourne Braves and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Marko has also spent time as an associate scout for Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies.
Fifty-three of the pitchers he has worked with have been drafted or signed professional contracts. The list includes three first-round selections in Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox), Victor Black (Pittsburgh Pirates) and Kyle Gibson (Minnesota Twins). Â Eight of his former student-athletes have reached the major-league level including Sale, Black, Gibson, Jordan Walden (Atlanta Braves/Anaheim Angels/St. Louis Cardinals), Steve Geltz (Anaheim Angels/Texas Rangers), Justin Grimm (Texas Rangers/Chicago Cubs), Michael Bolsinger (Arizona Diamondbacks/Los Angeles Dodgers) and Red Patterson (Los Angeles Dodgers). Both Walden and Sale have been selected to play in the MLB All-Star Game during their professional career.
Marko’s playing resume is as impressive as his coaching experience. After a standout career at Notre Dame Cathedral-Latin (Ohio) High School, he was a four-year letterwinner at a pair of NCAA Division I programs. He originally started his collegiate career at Cleveland State (Ohio) University, before transferring to UTPA where he faced some of the best collegiate programs in the country. After graduation, he pitched three seasons in professional baseball.
Marko received a bachelor’s degree in general studies from UTPA in 2002.
