Kingston High School’s varsity baseball team will have its first new coach in nearly two decades, as former JV Coach Rob Parisian will take over for the spring 2023 season following the retirement of Mike Groppuso.
Groppuso stepped down last week after 18 seasons guiding the Tigers, a run which included a state championship in 2012, seven Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association titles, and eight Section 9 crowns.
“Coach Groppuso has been an outstanding baseball coach for the Kingston community for many years,” said KCSD Athletics Director Rich Silverstein in a press release. “Our athletes and coaches truly benefited from his skills during his time with us.”
Parisian, who served as JV coach for six years, was appointed by the Board of Education during a meeting held on Wednesday, January 11. Parisian, a 10th grade global studies teacher at Kingston High, has a long history in local baseball, including an early connection with his predecessor Groppuso: During Parisian’s senior year at Saugerties High School, he was captain of the varsity baseball team during Groppuso’s first year coaching that Kingston rival.
Parisian was part of the SUNY Ulster baseball team that went to the College World Series in 2004, earning a baseball scholarship to the University of Bridgeport as a result. He picked up a Masters in education at Bridgeport while working as assistant baseball coach, and in 2009 he became a nationally-certified umpire. He’s been with the KCSD as a teacher since 2011.
“Growing up, sports kept me active, healthy and fostered a competitive spirit,” Parisian said in the district’s press release. “I will do my best to ensure our student-athletes have this same opportunity.”
At the same School Board meeting, Cameron Ott was appointed by trustees to become the Tigers’ junior varsity coach.
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