Bronx, N.Y. – (October 4, 2017) – Fordham head baseball coach announced a number of staff additions and change of positions on Wednesday.
Pete Larson joins the Fordham staff as an assistant/pitching coach, while
Justin Echevarria will be a volunteer assistant coach.
Pat Porter has been hired as director of baseball operations, with
Tony Mellaci becoming special assistant to the head coach.
"Over my 12 years as a head coach. I have been fortunate to have some amazing assistant coaches work beside me and with these additions, I am confident that will continue," said head coach
Kevin Leighton.
Larson joins the Fordham staff after spending 2017 at Albany as their pitching coach. The Great Danes went 26-26 on the year, winning two games at the America East Tournament and had seven players earn postseason honors, including relief pitcher Dominic Savino (First Team) and starting pitcher Jack McClure (Second Team).
Before Albany, Larson spent the 2016 season as an assistant coach at Siena College, helping the Saints to a second place regular season finish with a 16-8 record and a runner-up finish in the MAAC conference tournament. Under Larson's watch, Siena had a pitcher earn second-team All-MAAC honors, a MAAC Rookie of the Week pitcher, and two hurlers named to the All-MAAC Tournament Team.
Prior to Siena, Larson was an assistant on the King University (Tenn.) baseball staff. He contributed in all aspects of the program, primarily working with outfielders, high school recruiting and serving as base coach during games. The Tornado finished third in the Conference Carolinas in 2015 (16-10) and posted an overall record of 24-26.
In the summer of 2015, Larson served as the pitching coach for the Madison Mallards in the Northwoods League. Under his direction, the Mallards staff led the league in strikeouts with 580 and finished fourth in team ERA at 3.73, closing the summer with a record of 43-28.
Larson began his coaching career as a pitching coach at Jamestown High School in Williamsburg, Va. for two seasons, and then spent a year at the Collegiate School in Richmond. He helped lead both teams to state tournament appearances while lowering the pitching staffs' ERA from the previous years. At the same time, he worked as a baseball instructor at Rock-It Sports, Richmond Baseball Academy-West, and Colonial Baseball Instruction.
Larson graduated from Ferrum College in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. While at Ferrum, Larson was a four-year member of the Panther baseball team and helped his squad to USA South conference titles in 2005 and 2007, as well as South Regional appearances in both years. As a senior reliever in 2009, Larson led the pitching staff in ERA. After graduation, Larson went on to play professionally in the Can-Am League and North American League in 2011.
Leighton on Larson – "I am excited and confident about what Pete will bring to our program and our pitching staff. He has a solid track record of identifying, recruiting, and developing pitchers. I know our pitchers will benefit from his guidance and I look forward to working with him."
Echevarria comes to Rose Hill after two seasons as an assistant coach at Adelphi, where he worked as the hitting and catching coach. He helped Adelphi to a 24-24 record in 2017, while having four players earn postseason accolades.
Prior to Adelphi, Echevarria spent two seasons at Manhattan College (2014-15), working with catchers, and hitters.
During his playing days, Echevarria was a three-year starter at Stony Brook behind the plate, helping lead the Seawolves to NCAA Regionals appearances in 2008 and 2010. Echevarria led the America East Conference in throwing out potential base stealers in three of his four years at Stony Brook. His proficiency behind the dish allowed him to earn a spot on the Johnny Bench Award watch list, an award given to the nation's top catcher. Echevarria was then selected in the 40th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft by the San Diego Padres.
A two-time all-conference selection, Echevarria participated in the NCAA Regional Leadership Conference during his time at Stony Brook. In addition to his collegiate background, Echevarria has coached at youth clinics, showcases and one-on-one position training at the Frozen Ropes Baseball Training Facility in Garden City, N.Y.
Leighton on Echevarria – "Justin has been around a number of programs, coaching at the collegiate level for a number of years now and brings a lot of experience and knowledge to our program and players. He is a tireless worker, who our players will no doubt respect, learn from, and appreciate."
Porter comes to Fordham after spending 2017 as an operations intern for the Ohio State baseball team, where he also played for the Buckeyes from 2012-15. He was a First Team All-BIG TEN outfielder in 2015, and was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 15
th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. He has spent the last three seasons in the Astros minor league system, most recently playing for Buies Creek in the Carolina League in 2017.
Leighton on Porter – "Pat is going to be a huge help for me, my staff, and our players. He will be responsible for a lot of the behind the scenes, day-to-day tasks of running this program. He brings high level playing experience, tremendous energy and work ethic, along with the desire to learn every day."
Mellaci has held many job titles for the Rams over the last 32 years, most prominently as an assistant coach or as Director of Baseball Operations most recently. Over the past 30-plus years, he has directed the infield play and the defense, served as first base coach, and championed Fordham's strong recruiting program, which has brought some of the finest players coming out of high school and junior colleges to Rose Hill, and served as an alumni contact and community service contact with youth programs.
Leighton on Mellaci – "Tony has been around the Fordham baseball program for a long time. He has served many different roles and has been a strong bridge to our alumni. This new role will allow him to focus on continuing to cultivate our alumni base."
