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Regarded nationally as one of the preeminent pitchers in all of college baseball during his time as an Ohio player, Marc Cornell moved to the coaching ranks in the Bobcat dugout. Cornell served as interim assistant coach in 2006, appointed after the death of longtime Ohio pitching coach Bill Toadvine, who died of cancer in November. A Columbus native, Cornell was twice selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He signed with the Texas Rangers organization following his senior year in Athens, but arm trouble cut his professional career short. Cornell's collegiate career, however, was highly decorated by several national publications. Prior to his senior season, Cornell was tabbed the No. 2 Senior Prospect in the nation by Baseball America. That publication, along with Collegiate Baseball, named Cornell the preseason Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year. Baseball America touted Cornell as having the league's "Best Fastball" and "Best Breaking Ball" in his arsenal. Cornell finished up a four-year career at Ohio with 18 victories, including a career-best seven in 2003. His 187 career strikeouts are the ninth-most in program history. A captain in 2004, Cornell's senior season was defined by perhaps his most dominant performance in a Bobcat uniform, recording 12 strikeouts in May against Western Michigan. As a junior, Cornell was a first-team All-MAC selection, winning seven games with 69 Ks in 58.2 innings. His 10.6 strikeouts-per-nine-innings ranked him 24th nationally. Following that season, Cornell was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the fifth round of the First-Year Player Draft. He chose to not sign, however, and return to Athens to complete his eligibility. Over his first two seasons in the green and white, Cornell won a combined 10 games in 19 starts and struck out 97 hitters in 117.1 innings pitched. Cornell received his bachelor's degree in sport industry from Ohio University in 2005. |
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