BISMARCK, ND – Widely known for using cutting-edge technology to successfully develop pitchers, University of Mary head baseball coach Mark Moriarty is making the jump to the highest level of his sport. Moriarty has accepted a coaching position with the Minnesota Twins organization. With the Twins, Moriarty is tasked with developing minor league pitchers competing in extended spring training and summer leagues out of Minnesota's training complex in Fort Myers, FL.
 
Moriarty will remain with the Marauders until a new head coach is named. A nationwide search is now underway for a new UMary baseball coach.
 
"Mark Moriarty has done a tremendous job of guiding the Marauders baseball program back into the Northern Sun mix and the future looks bright," said University of Mary Director of Athletics Dale Lennon. "His ability to connect with his players and incorporate technology into their development is impressive. While we hate to see Mark leave, we're excited about his opportunity to coach at the professional level and look forward to following his career in Major League Baseball."
 
"It has been an awesome experience the last year and a half growing this program with players that bought in to the development process I brought to the University of Mary," said Moriarty. "The team's willingness to put in the work needed to improve themselves and buy in to each other has set this program up for success for years to come. All the players have been special people to both my wife, Rachel, and me. Leaving them will be tough, but I know they are in very good hands with our assistant coaches. I look forward to watching them make some serious noise this spring. Thank you to Dale Lennon, Monsignor James Shea, and the administration who gave me a chance to be a head coach.
 
"I grew up as a die-hard Minnesota Twins fan and really enjoyed the conversations I had with people in their pitching department on how they plan on advancing the organization. I felt it was a perfect fit with my beliefs and theirs, and I think I can grow and continue to learn with them."
 
In Moriarty's one season with the Marauders, UMary improved by a dozen wins and jumped six slots in the Northern Sun standings. The Marauders finished 2019 with 17 wins overall and 12 wins in the NSIC. The 17 wins is the most for the program since posting 17 in 2013. The 12 conference wins is the most since winning 12 in 2010. The Marauders jumped to 9^th in the league standings after finishing 15^th the past four years.
 
The Marauders dropped their earned run average from 7.24 in 2018 to 5.65 in 2019, walks dropped from 5.3 per nine innings to 4.8, and strikeouts jumped from 5.3 to 8.1. Opponent hits also dropped from 11.3 per nine innings to 10.1.  
 
A native of Mankato, MN, Moriarty joined the Marauders after winning an NCAA Division II national championship in 2018 as the associate head coach and pitching coach at Augustana.
 
With the conclusion of fall training, the Marauders officially begin the 2020 season in January. The season opener is January 31 against Colorado Christian University and Rogers State University in the 4Him Classic in Cleburne, TX.
 
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