When asked for his favorite piece of advice, Cory Rossi simply says “be a great teammate”—but those four words hold more meaning than meets the eye.
Cory has coached travel baseball for 15+ years and has had a hand in helping over 200 high schoolers receive college scholarships in the sport.
“Travel baseball has changed the landscape of recruiting for high school players,” he explains. “High school baseball season starts around the same time college seasons begin, so college coaches have limited opportunities to see high schoolers in action. That’s where travel steps in—during the summer and fall. College coaches and professional scouts can go to one tournament with over 400 teams and see talent from across the country. It’s a lot easier and more efficient than visiting multiple states.”
Currently, Cory coaches a team of 20 players who live in 12 different states—from as far away as Hawaii—which presents its own challenges. “It’s extremely hard to get everyone together as you can imagine, so when we can, we’ll arrive at tournament locations a day early for a rare practice as a team,” he says.
“I want to look back and say that I helped pave a way for these young men to be great human beings.”
But that hard work and time on the road pays off. All 20 players, who he’s coached since they were high-school freshmen, have received scholarships to Division 1 schools and most have already committed. And more than 20 of his previous players have signed with Major League teams.
“It’s just amazing to me that I can play a small part in the lives of these young men who are living out their dreams,” he says. “Attending the college signing ceremonies is still one of my favorite parts of the job. In fact, one of my proudest moments as a coach was this past year when a player asked me to join his parents in attending his college’s ‘senior day.’ I love my players and they’ve had a huge impact on my life. Because of them, I’m a better husband, father, and human being.”
Cory’s players have seen him get married, have children, and progress through his own career. They watch his boys play sports…they’ve even lived with him! “During the summer, we house a couple of players for a few months, so they become ingrained in my family’s day-to-day lives. My wife Kristen has had a bigger impact on them than I have; she takes care of them like they are her own.”
Early in Cory’s coaching career, he had a player from Miami who lived with him during the summers, and Cory promised he would be there when the player signed his letter of intent with the University of Missouri. When Cory was asked to go on an emergency work trip, Kristen “stepped up to the plate,” as they say. “She and my oldest son flew down and surprised him,” Cory reminisces. “That was the moment I think Kristen recognized the impact she was having on these young men.”
Cory’s dedication and willingness to help carry over in his day job, where he is responsible for the continuous improvement of the Commercial program’s tech stack in the MarketSource, Inc. Innovation Center. He also collaborates with our Salesforce team to prioritize work that improves the technology for our programs.
When all is said and done, Cory has one wish at the end of his coaching career: “I want to look back and say that I helped pave a way for these young men to be great human beings.”
#baseball #servingothers #marketsourceproud #marketsourcestrong
Author: Sarah Nicholas
Sarah is a Content Writer for MarketSource. She has deep experience helping B2B, high-tech companies, and non-profit organizations define and convey their voice through compelling content and strategies that build and scale brands.
