Fresh off an appearance in the baseball state finals in Ft. Myers, Cambridge Christian has a new man in charge.
The school announced the hiring of Sam Blackmon on Tuesday. He replaces Sam Marsonek, who stepped down to work full-time with SCORE International, a Tampa-area baseball training program that also focuses on faith. Marsonek had been the director of player development on a part-time basis.
"Coach Marsonek did a tremendous job working with student-athletes and maintained the success of the baseball program in his time at Cambridge Christian School," Assistant Athletic Director Chad Goebert said in a release. "Although it is sad to see a coach depart, we know that he will continue to be a part of the family here at Cambridge Christian School."
Marsonek, who spent three years in the Lancers dugout, led the team to two district titles, a regional championship and a state final four appearance during his tenure. This season, his team advanced to the 2A state semifinals, only to fall 4-0 to Westwood Christian, the eventual state champion.
Blackmon steps in as the team's new head coach, and has experience at both the high school and collegiate level. He coached at East Texas Baptist University - a Division III school - from 2006-2012. He's also spent time at the University of Dallas in the Lone Star state, coaching two nationally-ranked teams in 2002 and 2003.
As far as high school experience goes, Blackmon has coached at St. Mark's School of Texas, Elkhart High School, Liberty Christian High School and Bay Area Christian High School. He's won nine district titles in 10 seasons, and boasts three state tournament appearances. He's also had 22 players sign to play at the college level.
He has a career 375-280-3 record, overall.
"I am excited to be here at Cambridge Christian," Blackmon said in a statement. "This is a place where Christian character is a top priority and the baseball tradition is strong and we want to continue to build on that."