History weighed heavy on Jarrod Marchesi ’09 as he took the mound at Bleecker Stadium in Albany, N.Y., this past April. The righthander had a chance to become the first Bentley pitcher to win eight games in a season – but doing so would require ending a string of misfortune at the College of Saint Rose diamond.
Though primarily a relief pitcher at the time, Marchesi made two starts in his freshman and sophomore seasons – each against Saint Rose. The Peabody, Mass., resident doesn’t sugarcoat the result. “Both times I got shelled.”
His third outing proved the charm. Marchesi pitched a complete-game shutout to earn a place in the Bentley record books.
It was a dominant relief appearance in the 2007 season finale that prompted coach Bob DeFelice to give Marchesi a shot in the starting rotation. The outcome has been remarkable.
“I’m not a big stats guy,” says DeFelice. “But looking at his numbers, you can’t help being impressed.”
Along with the record-breaking win total, the gaudy numbers include an earned run average of 2.38. Marchesi finished his junior season as the team’s all-time career leader in winning percentage (.681) and ERA (2.87).
“He’s not an overpowering pitcher, but he can throw strikes,” the coach observes. “He’s a guy you root for.”