Coaching Staff

Mark Woodworth - Head Baseball Coach

(860) 685-2924 - mwoodworth@wesleyan.edu

     Mark Woodworth, a 1994 graduate of Wesleyan University, enters his 13th season as Wesleyan’s head baseball coach and member of the faculty. He is a part of a unique tradition as he is only the third coach at the school in the last 73 years. An adjunct assistant professor of physical education, he has led Wesleyan baseball to the final four NESCAC tournament five times, including three of the last five seasons. 

     In 2013, he was named the NESCAC Coach of the Year for the second time as Wesleyan won the Little Three and finished first in the NESCAC regular season. His team has led the NESCAC in hitting the last two seasons, and in 2013, finished with the third-lowest E.R.A. in school history.

     Woodworth brings a wealth of experience accrued over 28 years of baseball coaching, including 20 at the college level. Before his stint as head coach at Wesleyan, he served as an assistant coach at Amherst College, as well as the head baseball coach at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. From 1996-97, he was an assistant coach at Wesleyan, while earning his Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree.

In 1995, he coached four future major leaguers as an assistant for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League, the same league in which he played for the Wareham Gatemen in 1993. He has helped run the annual tryout for the Cape Cod League each spring for the last 18 years.

At Wesleyan, Woodworth also teaches and serves as the director of intramurals, as well as assists the soccer team and football team in various capacities. In addition, he is the N.E. coordinator for the Div. III national coaches poll.

As a player at Wesleyan, Woodworth was a four-year starter at shortstop, graduating as the all-time Wesleyan leader in games played, and sixth in career hits. He was captain of the 1994 Wesleyan team which broke school records en route to winning the NCAA New England title, before playing in the NCAA Division III World Series. The Cardinals finished their run with a berth in the national championship game, finishing runner-up, while posting a best-ever 30-8 record. In November 2009, the 1994 team was inducted into the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame.

Woodworth is a native of Norwell, Mass. and a 1990 graduate of Norwell High School. He was a three-sport captain, earning All-South Shore League honors in baseball, soccer and basketball, and was named the South Shore League Small Athlete of the Year in 1990 by WATD-FM. He also participated in numerous summer baseball leagues including American Legion, the Cranberry League, and the Boston Park League.

Woodworth’s purpose as a coach is to teach the lifetime skills of focus and being in the moment through the medium of baseball. That is why baseball is of great value. An emphasis is placed on enjoying the game, learning to improve technique, creating and implementing a plan, and working hard with inspiring teammates. The result for players who love the game is playing relaxed, confident and aggressive baseball while competing under pressure. 

As a supplement to his baseball teachings, Woodworth has written a book, The Rhythm of Baseball, about the technique and mental approach of baseball, as well as The Code of the Game, about learning baseball by feel.

     He is married to the former Robin McLellan, a 1997 graduate of Wesleyan University. They have a seven-year-old daughter, Lily Grace Woodworth, and a five-year-old son, Dylan Samuel Stiles Woodworth.

Rob Manzo - Assistant Coach

      One of the great baseball minds in New England, Rob Manzo returns to Wesleyan for his seventh season after serving as an assistant baseball coach for the Cardinals in 2012, from 2008-2010, as well as during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Rob has had great success as a baseball coach, specifically as the long-time head coach of his hometown Berlin (Conn.) American Legion team. His 2009 Legion squad recorded a dominant 34-8 record en route to wining the Connecticut state title, the New England Regional title, and earning a berth in the American Legion World Series in Fargo, N.D. His team also won the 2002 state title with a 42-6 record, and finished second in 2008.
      Rob's Berlin teams have produced numerous players who have been drafted by professional baseball, including Jesse Carlson who is currently a reliever for the Toronto Blue Jays. Rob also spent three seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., where he starred as a four-year starting catcher. A graduate of Berlin High School, he played in the prestigious Connecticut/Massachusetts All-Star game.
     Rob and his wife, Sara, have a two-year-old son Anthony.

Tom Yankus - Assistant Coach

      Tom Yankus returns for his third year on the Wesleyan baseball coaching staff in 2013 after an amazing 52 years coaching baseball at Choate Rosemary Hall, one of the very best private high schools in the country.
      An alum of Choate, Tom then attended Williams College, graduating in 1956 as President of his class. He has since been named to the Williams College All-Time Baseball Team. After graduation, he played professional baseball in the New York Yankees system in leagues from Montana to Washington to North Carolina. He also pitched in the prestigious Cape Cod League, as well served as manager of the Orleans Cardinals for nine seasons, coaching Todd Helton, Nomar Garciappara and Frank Thomas among others. The Orleans Cardinals' annual Thomas Yankus Pitching Award is named after him.
      An English teacher at Choate, he was inducted into the Choate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. He is married to Julie Oxborough and they have two daughters, Annie and Alex.

Bob Wojick - Assistant Coach

      Bob Wojick joins the Wesleyan staff after serving 36 years as an assistant coach at Eastern Connecticut State University. His experience at all facets of the game was a prime reason his teams won the Div. III National Championship four times, appeared in the College World Series 12 times, and played in a regional over 30 times.
     In 2005, he was named the National Assistant Coach-of-the-Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America magazine. He is the only non-Division I coach to receive the award. In 2009, he was also named the New England Assistant Coach-of-the-Year by the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association.
     A three-year letterwinner as an infielder at Eastern Conn., he joined the coaching staff in 1972. He took five years off to spend more time with his family, before returning in 1995. He was inducted into the Eastern Hall of Fame in 1992.
     A 1971 graduate of Eastern Conn. St. with a B.A. in Applied Social Relations, he received his M.A. in Industrial Education from Central Connecticut State University. He retired after 35 years of teaching in the Hartford Public Schools system.
     He and his wife, Sandy, have two grown children, Kimberlee and Brian.

Chris Wojick - Assistant Coach

      Chris Wojick returns for his second season as the pitching coach for the Cardinals in the spring of 2013. A 2011 graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, Chris brings a wealth of experience in baseball, including a standout four-year career pitching for the Warriors. Chris finished his career second in all-time appearances with 74 and was named ABCA third-team all-New England in 2008. He had 13 career wins, eight saves in 135.0 innings with 136 strikeouts and a career 4.13 E.R.A.  He served as the tournament director for the 2012 NCAA Division III Baseball New England Regional hosted by Eastern Connecticut.
     Chris graduated from Montville (Conn.) High School, and was named to the prestigious All-State team while leading his team to the state title in 2006. He was both a pitcher and catcher for the University of Maine his first year in college.

Justin Freres - Assistant Coach

jfreres@wesleyan.edu

      Justin Freres joins the coaching staff at Wesleyan for his second year after an amazing career as both a football and baseball captain. A 2011 Wesleyan graduate, Justin had great success as a starting outfielder for the Cardinals, culminating in his senior spring hitting .308 with four home runs. Justin played in 83 games for the Cardinals with numerous big defensive plays. For his energy and commitment and leadership, he was honored with a share of the team's prestigious MacNaughten Award for baseball excellence which he shared with his fellow seniors.
      A four-year starter at safety and linebacker for the Cardinal football team, he was a force in NESCAC football, being named to the All-NESCAC team twice.
    A 2007 graduate of San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara, Calif., he was named to the prestigious North-South All-Star classic featuring the top football players in California.

Derek Dettorre - Assistant Coach

ddettorre@wesleyan.edu

      Derek Dettorre, a 2011 Wesleyan graduate, joined the Wesleyan baseball coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2012 following an outstanding four-year career as an infielder for the Cardinals. As a senior, Derek served as captain and was honored with the team's prestigious MacNaughten Award for excellence in baseball, which he shared with his fellow seniors. In 2011, he led the team in hitting with a .360 batting average. Over his career, he played in 93 games, recorded 92 hits, 15 doubles and 61 RBIs. He also led the team in on-base-percentage twice in his career, winning the team's King Cardinal Award in 2009 and 2011.
      A 2007 graduate of Wakefield (Mass.) High School, Derek was the valedictorian of his graduating class, the starting quarterback on the football team, and the starting shortstop. He was named a Middlesex League All-Star in both sports.

Garrett Lamborn - Assistant Coach

      Garrett Lamborn returns for his fourth year of coaching at Wesleyan, after graduating from Wesleyan in 2009, and serving as a Head Captain of the Cardinal baseball team. He had an incredibly successful four-year career, hitting .359 with five home runs his senior year, after hitting .380 in his junior year. The outfielder also brought great leadership skills to the team, culminating in being honored with the Norm Daniels Award for Loyalty and Dedication to Wesleyan Baseball. After Wesleyan, Garrett played professional baseball for the Burssells Kangaroos in Holland, in the Peach State independent league, as well as three seasons for the Adelaide Baseball Club in the Australian Baseball League.
     A 2005 graduate of McDonough School in Maryland, Garrett was an economics major at Wesleyan.

Rich Adelstein - Faculty Mentor

(860)  685-2366 - radelstein@wesleyan.edu

      Rich Adelstein enters his 12th season as a Faculty Mentor to the Wesleyan baseball team. He is an invaluable member of the staff, serving as a liaison in the quest to align athletic programs with academic and student life. Rich has been a Professor of Economics at Wesleyan since 1975 and was the winner of the first Wesleyan University Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1993. He also has spent time at Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Oxford.
     In addition to his focus on economics, Rich was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1978. He received his Ph.D. and J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A.A. from Wesleyan University, and an M.A.T. from Harvard University. He spent his undergraduate years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1968 and catching on the varsity baseball team.

Giulio Gallarotti - Faculty Mentor

(860)  685-2496 - ggallarotti@wesleyan.edu

      Giulio Gallarotti returns for his fourth season as a co-Faculty Mentor to the Wesleyan baseball team. His presence with the team on its annual spring trip to Arizona is key component of the integration of academics and athletics at the Wesleyan. He is a Professor of Government and a Tutor in the College of Social Studies. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Rome, and has published numerous books and articles.
      Giulio received his B.A. from Hunter College, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. A standout tennis player, he played tournament tennis in the northeastern United States