By Aaron Valdez
If you’ve been following Pasadena baseball for quite a while, no introduction would be needed for recent hire Michael Parisi, who returned to the program for a second tenure as head coach.
Parisi logged in a successful eight-season spell during his first go-around as Pasadena’s head coach, leading the bulldogs to a 117-96-1 record from 2008-2015.
After leaving Pasadena High School, he went on to coach city rivals La Salle for two years. However, he was eventually let go despite leading the Lancers to a 40-21 record.
Parisi is a local product as he was born and raised in nearby Arcadia, Calif. During his college years, he was an All-American at Southern California powerhouse Cal State Fullerton from 1992 to 1994. He also studied communications and eventually went on to graduate school at Azusa Pacific University.
As a promising pitching prospect, Parisi was also selected 792nd overall by the California Angeles in the 1991 Amateur Entry Draft and 152nd overall by the Florida Marlins in the 1994 Amateur Entry Draft. He then had stints in the minors with a handful of squads including the Elmira Pioneers, Kane County Cougars, and Brevard County Manatees.
Along with coaching the Bulldogs’ baseball team, Parisi is also a teacher for Pasadena Unified School District. He will take charge of a Pasadena team that put together a 15-12 overall record last season but hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2015.
