— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University men’s soccer head coach Chris Grassie is on track to stick around Huntington a while.
Grassie, who led the Thundering Herd to the 2020 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, has agreed to a seven-year contract extension that keeps him at Marshall through 2031.
Grassie’s new deal was approved Wednesday by the Marshall University Board of Governors.
The board also approved a two-year contract extension for head baseball coach Greg Beals through 2029.
“I am proud to work at a place with a Board of Governors and a President in Brad Smith who recognizes what special things we have going on in Marshall Athletics,” Marshall Director of Athletics Christian Spears said. “Both Coach Grassie and Coach Beals and their respective families have done an amazing job of successfully building the bond between Marshall University and the Huntington community, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue that momentum and success for both programs.”
Grassie led Marshall to an 18-3 record, Sun Belt Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament bid last fall.
The Herd’s success on the pitch has allowed Grassie to draw interest from other programs, but he says Huntington has become home for he and his family.
“I and my entire family are delighted to sign this seven-year extension,” Grassie said. “I’m grateful to be a member of the Herd community. Huntington has become our home, and we want to do everything we can to bring joy to the area. For me and my fantastic staff, we see this moment as a challenge, and plan to redouble our efforts to bring glory back to Marshall. We hope we can provide many phenomenal memories to our great community in the years to come.”
As for Beals, Marshall finished 18-37 overall and 9-21 in the Sun Belt in his second season in Huntington. MU opened its long-anticipated on-campus baseball facility Jack Cook Field and had a 14-12 record in its new home.
Spears says that Beals’ commitment to player success and community involvement has become the foundation to the program’s ascent within the Sun Belt — one of the more competitive baseball leagues in the country.
“We are building something really special in baseball,” Spears said. “You can sense it and see some of the early indications of what is coming. You have a person who has done it before, knows what it takes to get there and what is expected. Combine that with the energy and enthusiasm of a community and university that just opened a new ballpark that plays in a nationally-competitive league and we have it all.
“If we all stay together, we are going to win here because of all those factors. We want to make sure Coach Beals, his family and our student-athletes know we are all-in on seeing them succeed!”
Spears also announced 250 seats are being added to Marshall’s Hoops Family Soccer Complex to handle the large crowds following the soccer programs. Five Marshall men’s games were sellouts during 2023.
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The recently-finished Marshall University academic year brought several successes in the university’s athletic programs, such as Sun Belt Conference championships in women’s basketball and men’s soccer, a bowl trip for the football team and the opening of the new Jack Cook Field for baseball.
Recent NCAA Academic Progress Rate numbers also give an indication that Marshall athletes are performing well in the classroom.
Numbers released last week for the 2022-23 school year show that Marshall finished with an overall department rate of 987, which is three points above the national average.
Four Marshall programs finished with perfect APRs — women’s cross country, women’s tennis, women’s swimming and diving and women’s tennis.
The women’s swimming & diving program was the lone Sun Belt program to finish with a perfect 1000 APR for the 2022-23 cycle. Women’s soccer (998) and women’s basketball (995) each led the way by sport in the Sun Belt.
“Marshall student-athletes and the faculty and staff that support them on their academic journey continue to be extraordinary,” Spears said. “It’s not easy to balance all aspects of the student-athlete experience, but what this university does best in the SBC is recognize that our students are here for a transformational educational experience that leads to an amazing career outcome. I’m incredibly proud of the faculty and staff, as well as our student-athletes for representing us all at the top of the league.”
The Athletic Department’s Assistant Director for Academic Services, Kaylyn Torain, believes a lot of hard work by athletes and her staff is paying off.
“It is incredible to see the hard work of our student-athletes pay off,” Torain said. “The hard work of our students and the support of the academic staff and coaches has created a positive environment for academic success. The result of that is our department having four teams with perfect scores, which is amazing.”
The NCAA’s APR benchmark for its athletic programs is 930, which Marshall easily exceeded in every sport.
Eight of nine women’s sports programs within Marshall Athletics exceed the national average for APR within their sport while all nine programs are at least even with the national average.
Women’s Basketball (+14), women’s cross country (+12) and men’s basketball (+12) were programs above the national average by double-digits.
Other programs to exceed the national average in APR included football (+3), women’s golf (+7), women’s swimming & diving (+8), women’s tennis (+9), women’s soccer (+9), softball (+2) and women’s track (+4).
APR scores are based on a four-year cycle and that meant Marshall’s men’s track did not receive a score as the program was only reinstated as a sport for the 2022-23 scholastic year.