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Marshall McDonald, who played baseball for Catawba Valley Community College and who has served on its coaching staff for three seasons, is leaving to coach baseball at Presbyterian College./CVCC PHOTO
HICKORY – Marshall McDonald, hitting and infield coach the last three seasons at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC), is leaving to join the coaching staff at Presbyterian College.
McDonald will be a volunteer assistant coach for the Blue Hose, CVCC athletic officials said in a press release on Tuesday.
“Having coach McDonald here at CVCC – he’s been an unbelievable asset for our kids not only in terms of development, but someone who knows what it means to play baseball at the Valley,” CVCC head coach baseball coach Paul Rozzelle said in the release.
“We are very, very proud of him. It’s nice to see he is going to continue on. We are so excited for him. He will always be a part of our family. Now, we get to watch him on the big stage.”
McDONALD
As a player, McDonald was part of CVCC’s first baseball team in 2010. Playing first base, he set the program’s benchmark for home runs (15) that season while earning first team All-Region X honors.
McDonald signed with Montreat College and earned All-Appalachian Athletic Conference academic accolades as a junior and senior.
Named a team captain as a senior at Montreat, he made all-conference before graduating in 2012.
After his college career, McDonald played professional baseball independently for the Skagit Valley Lumberjacks, Hawaii Stars, Vallejo Admirals, Sonoma Stompers and Pittsburgh Mettel. He also played for the Rincon Touristas in the Puerto Rican League for Liga De Beisbol Superior AA in 2013.
McDonald, 28, joined CVCC’s coaching staff in 2014 as a volunteer assistant on a team that set a school record for wins (41) and won the Carolina-Virginias regular-season conference championship.
“CVCC has given me a chance to get my coaching career started as well as kick-start my playing career seven years ago,” McDonald said in the release. “I owe a lot of my baseball career to the CVCC program – (former CVCC head baseball coach) Frank Pait, Paul Rozzelle and (CVCC athletic director) Nick Schroeder.”
McDonald, a native of Red Springs, was promoted to hitting and infield coach at CVCC in 2015, helping the Red Hawks rank in the top-25 nationally in four offensive categories – ninth in doubles, 11th in hits, 14th in home runs and 23rd in runs.
CVCC also set a school record for hits (585) before going on to win regular-season, region and district championships, reach the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II College World Series, and finish a program-best third in the nation.
The Red Hawks continued to re-write offensive records under McDonald in 2016, setting new program marks for on-base percentage (.424), runs scored (415), doubles (126), home runs (48) and RBIs (362).
Last spring, CVCC set school records for most home runs in a season (63) and tied a school record for most runs in a game (23).
Over the three previous summers, McDonald spent time with the Statesville Owls in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League in 2015, the Lenoir Oilers in the Carolina-Virginia Collegiate League in 2016 and the Lexington County (S.C.) Blowfish in the Coastal Plains League last summer.
“It is very bittersweet to be leaving, but God is leading me elsewhere, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity given to me by Presbyterian College and coach (Elton) Pollock,” McDonald said in the press release. “CVCC and the town of Hickory will always be my home, and I will definitely miss it. It holds a special place in my heart.
“I wish CVCC nothing, but success in the coming years. The relationships I’ve made on and off the field will go with me wherever I go.
“I wish all my players – past and present – the best of luck and hope you continue to play ‘The Valley Way.’”
— Reported by CVCC Sports Information