Marino Pugnetti enters his second year as an assistant coach with the Dragons in 2024-25.
In 2024, Pugnetti helped the Dragon offense achieve continued success, where they finished their 5th consecutive season hitting over .300 as a team.
Tommy Thamannheadlined the offense by earning All-Midwest Region and 1st Team All-Conference honors. Thamann led the offense with a .420 batting average, good for 2nd in the conference. Logan Swonger had a breakout year, hitting .331 with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 15 home runs, 51 runs scored and 58 RBI. 8 Dragons hit above .300 in conference play, good enough for 4th in the conference standings. The Dragons also finished 2nd in doubles and home runs during conference play. Pugnetti also helped in the baserunning department as well, leading to +20 runs from 2023. The Dragons were 49-64 on stolen bases in 2024, compared to 27-35 in 2023.
Prior to coming back to TU, Pugnetti served as the assistant varsity baseball coach for Higley High School in Gilbert, Arizona. He worked with position players, and specialized in outfield defense and hitting.
Prior to Higley High School, Marino spent two years as an assistant director for PBR Arizona. Marino was responsible for blast motion/trackman analysis, player write-ups, and the directing of showcases.
Coach Pugnetti was a two-year starter at Tiffin from 2019-2021 and was named to the all-conference team in 2021.
Prior to Tiffin, Marino attended Ellsworth Community College in Iowa, where he was named team captain by his coaches and fellow teammates. Coach Pugnetti attended Basha High School in Gilbert Arizona, where he graduated in 2017.
