Rocky Mauriello

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ALTON - Alton River Dragons Head Coach Brock Moss announces the hiring of two assistant coaches for the 2021 Season. Jeff Chapuran of LSU-Shreveport and Rocky Mauriello of Olivet Nazarene University.

“Hiring great assistant coaches was a necessity for any type of success next season in Alton and I believe we have made two home run hires with Jeff Chapuran and Rocky Mauriello to help lead the charge. Both guys have experience in the trenches in summer as a player and Jeff has worked before as an assistant in the Hamptons, a great league in NY. Both guys have very bright futures ahead in this business and their character and work ethic are second to none,” said Moss.Jeff Chapuran

Moss went on to say: “On the offensive side Jeff is wise beyond his years and could be one of the best young hitting minds in the game right now. He works for a top-flight program at Louisiana State University-Shreveport and before that came from the juco ranks at one of the top p

rograms in the country as well Northern Oklahoma College-Enid. Jeff will be able to blend his style, needs of the players and their respective schools and ultimately find a way to be instrumental in the development process. He is also a phenomenal infielders coach, so our INF guys should gain a lot from working with Jeff.

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On the pitching side, I was blown away with Rocky during interviews and knew right away he would be a perfect fit for this staff. His preparation, thoughtfulness on many aspects of pitching and his overall plan to help develop and monitor pitchers over the summer I think are a homerun for the guys who will work with him. His desire to get in the trenches, be around high- level baseball and compete every day will be something very good for this staff and team. His energy is infectious, and I think he will draw a “run through the wall” mentality from the players towards him.

In hiring these two guys I also think that you have two future head coaches at some point in these two and their careers will be ones to follow as they advance through the ranks. Both of these guys were no doubters in my mind and we look forward to going to the park every day working towards a Prospect League Championship.”

When asked about his hiring Mauriello said: "I am super excited to be with the River Dragons in Alton for their inaugural summer season. I have heard nothing but great things from

former players and coaches about what the Prospect League has to offer. I am looking forward to two major things. First, having a staff of talented guys committed to getting better every day. Second, is a schedule full of baseball. Those two things have me fired up looking ahead. I can't thank Coach Moss enough for the opportunity, and I look forward to learning from him and Coach Chapuran. A big thank you to General Manager, Dallas Martz and Owner, Steve Marso.”

Chapuran is excited about the opportunity to be part of the River Dragons first season: “I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to work in such a prestigious league alongside two coaches who share my passion for developing young men. The summer ball experience has always been something I look forward to, having spent time in North Carolina, Alaska, and the Hamptons. All of these experiences have prepared me to help begin the next great franchise in the prospect league. The support of management in Alton has been unwavering from the start, and it is clear that they also have a passion for developing young men, which is a recipe for success.”

The Alton River Dragons are a summer collegiate baseball team that plays in the Prospect League. The River Dragons will play their first season in the 2021.

www.altonbaseball.com www.prospectleague.com