Get to know Pennsbury HS baseball coach Joe Pesci
FAIRLESS HILLS, Pa. — Longtime area resident Joe Pesci is the varsity baseball coach for Pennsbury High School. A 2000 PHS Graduate, he played both baseball and basketball all through high school, and after graduating, played baseball at Bloomsburg University. He came back to teach at Pennsbury in 2005 and has started his thirteenth season as head coach of the boys’ baseball team.
Since Joe became varsity head coach, he has accomplished many things聽including introducing youth baseball summer and winter camps and聽creating a baseball tournament for the middle schools. He also runs a聽successful local training facility that caters to many聽regional athletes聽and聽teams.
Mr. Pesci taught in the Pennsbury School District from 2005 to 2016 and currently聽teaches at New Hope Solebury High School. Though he now teaches in聽another district, he stays close to the Pennsbury athletic department, and聽the high school itself, through coaching baseball, announcing the high聽school football games and getting involved in many other group events聽throughout the year.
“Pennsbury has some incredibly dedicated coaches that run year-round聽opportunities for their team including off-season open workouts, lifting,聽volunteer opportunities in the community, and team building events,” Joe聽tells us. “These coaches want to win for the school, the kids, and the聽community,聽There also is a strong local community behind the Pennsbury athletic聽programs,”
“There are a lot of opportunities for children to be聽involved in sports in our area and it is the feeder system Pennsbury athletic聽programs,” Joe explains. “Pennsbury has many coaches聽that get involved with these local organizations. It helps to develop the sense of community and聽builds Pennsbury’s athletics program.”
Joe loves living in this community and seeing youth players and families聽from his camps at community events, high school football games, etc. “It聽makes a huge impact on the players at that age when you remember them聽and engage with them,” says Joe. “And then they come up to the high聽school and become a player for you, it becomes a lifelong relationship,聽which is what coaching is about.”
Pesci is also very proud that Pennsbury won the 2017 State Championship in聽baseball. 鈥淭his was accomplished by kids that really personify what聽program development is about,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was such an amazing聽experience for all involved. It put Pennsbury’s program back on the map!鈥�
“Pennsbury is the only school in Lower Bucks County to win a Baseball state title, the second school in Bucks County to win that title, and the first聽team since 1994 to win the elusive League, District, and State title in the聽same season,” says Joe.
鈥淎nother great moment for the Pennsbury athletic program was the field聽dedication ceremony for former coach Victor Napolitano, “Joe tells us. “This聽event brought the alumni, community, current team/families together to聽honor him and it was incredible. It was a moment that the Napolitano聽Family and our Pennsbury program will never forget. Ginnie Napolitano聽and her daughters are still involved with the Pennsbury program and give聽out an award at the annual banquet.”
Joe also thinks it’s amazing to see players make the commitment to go on聽to play in college. No matter what level it is, being able to continue to fulfill聽your dream and play the game as long as possible means so much. “Pennsbury High School Baseball has a great reputation with聽college coaches and they often seek out Pennsbury players because they聽know they are getting more than just a good ballplayer.”
He also relates as a high school basketball player. “Frank Sciolla had the聽most influence and the greatest impact on me… and I barely got any聽playing time,” he jokes. “I went from being a player on Frank’s team to being a聽colleague and a friend. He is the reason I wanted to become a coach and聽a teacher,”
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