Justin Fileccia Pizzo

Penn State Abington’s baseball program has officially made a hire for the head coach position, and to the players’ delight, longtime assistant coach Joe Dimento has landed the job. 

As fall workouts began for the team, no one was certain who would get the position heading into spring 2023. Dimento was in his second consecutive year of being an interim coach during the fall, and his end goal was to ultimately take the interim tag off of his name. 

“This is paradise man.” Says Dimento. “Being a part of [players] lives and development means the world to me.”

In the team’s first meeting with Dimento officially named head coach, players were greeted with printed schedules for the upcoming season as well as a stat sheet containing each player’s 2022 numbers. This sets the precedent for the level of preparation and structure expected.

When asked about what is expected of 2023, Dimento says “Every year the goal is to go out there and win a National Championship. That’s what we play for, right? We’re all trying to win a ring.” After a few consecutive successful seasons, the Nittany Lions are set up to be serious contenders on a national stage. 

Dimento says he not only wants to win, but wants to be someone his players can count on and look up to.

“Baseball is only a chapter in all of our lives,” He continues “As a coach, I really want to develop [players] into good men.” 

Players were also hoping Dimento would get the spot, due to the chemistry he created within the program while serving as an assistant coach since 2018. 

Senior pitcher Brandon Hightower says “He’s been here for a while, we feel comfortable with him. I feel like he knows what we’re capable of and he wants to win just as badly as we do.”

Hightower has been attending Abington for the entirety of Dimento’s involvement in the program. 

Junior middle infielder Joey Christian says “I’ve been a fan of Dimento’s since I came in as a freshman. He provides the electricity for us, truly a player’s coach.”

Pitching coaches Jake Drossner and Vance Worley will also be joining the team. Worley spent 8 seasons in the MLB making his last appearance in 2017 with the Miami Marlins.