Lenzini Named New Baseball Coach
St. Johnsbury Academy has announced the hiring of John Lenzini as the varsity baseball coach. Lenzini will take over for Marc Choiniere, who is retiring after six seasons in the position. Choiniere’s teams won 57 games during that time and were the Division I Champions in 2016 when they went 13-3 in the regular season. Marc earned the Metro Coach of the Year award in 2016.
Lenzini, who also serves as the school’s athletic director, said, “Marc’s impact on SJA baseball has been outstanding. During his tenure, he cultivated players who understood the game of baseball extremely well, and his teams were always well prepared to compete in close ballgames. It is no surprise that many of Marc’s athletes have advanced to and excelled in collegiate baseball programs. His skilled teaching of the game and unrelenting demand for excellence will be missed.”
Assistant Headmaster for Campus Life Beth Choiniere said, “One of the most important aspects of being a great coach is the ability to develop lasting relationships with our student athletes. Marc Choiniere has served the local community as a youth baseball and basketball coach, a JV basketball coach, a varsity softball coach, and the varsity baseball coach over the course of the last 20 years. Marc has had a tremendous influence on those who he has coached, and continues that connection with his former players, many of whom are playing college baseball today. We have been fortunate to have such a talented coach working with our young athletes, and we want to thank Marc for all of his time and dedication throughout the last two decades of coaching.”
Jack Driscoll, who retired from coaching this year after leading the varsity girls basketball program for more than 25 years, said, “Marc was an excellent teacher of the fundamentals of the game of baseball and regardless of his team’s talent level, they were always competitive because of their commitment to the fundamentals and their understanding of how to play the game of baseball.”
Lenzini served as the SJA varsity softball coach from 2007-2013, reaching the semi-finals in three of those years. His baseball experience includes several years of playing and managing on the international level in Germany and Austria, including work as an assistant coach with the Austrian Men’s National Team.
As for this year’s team, Lenzini said, “I look forward to working with student-athletes in our baseball program, and it will be a privilege to help guide them as ballplayers and young men.”
Headmaster Sharon Howell said, “The timing of John Lenzini’s return to coach Academy baseball could not be more fortunate—whatever the season looks like, our players will continue to have a great coach.”
Spring sports begin on March 29 for baseball pitchers and catchers and on April 5 for all other teams.
