ADAM TARASKA
Head Coach
Adam Taraska enters his ninth season as head coach of the Panthers in 2022.
Over his tenure as head coach at Purchase, Taraska has won 99 games and coached 17 All-Skyline Conference players. He has coached one Skyline Player of the Year, one Skyline Rookie of the Year, two All-Region players and multiple Skyline players, pitchers, and rookies of the week.
Taraska came to Purchase in the fall of 2011 and served as an assistant under Bill Guerrero for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. In 2013, Guerrero was named Skyline Coach of the Year.
The 2014 team, in Taraska's first year at the helm, was one of the most successful in the program's history. The team advanced to the semifinals of the Skyline Conference tournament for the first time after finishing the regular season in a first place tie with a 12-4 conference record. The Skyline Conference took notice as seven Panthers were elected All-Conference, and one was named Skyline Conference Player of the Year. Taraska was named Skyline Coach of the Year. The 2014 team was also recognized by the NCAA Division III as the national leader in stolen bases per game (3.86).
Prior to Purchase, Taraska served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at D-1 Fairfield University in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He also served as an assistant coach for the 2009 season at Fairfield foe, Iona College. He coached 2010 and 2012 drafted players for the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres during his time in the MAAC conference.
Taraska started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at D-2 Caldwell College in 2008, the same year the Cougars won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season crown and conference tournament, advancing to the D-2 Northeast Regional Tournament.
At the high school level, Taraska spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons as head coach at Greens Farms Academy in Westport, CT. In addition, he has been a coach for the AAU Connecticut Blue Jays since 2002, in which time he has led many teams to Top 10 regional and national finishes. He has coached at every level from 13U-18U. Most recently, he coached the CT Blue Jays 18U Scout team in the summer of 2020.
Prior to coaching, Taraska was a decorated athlete and four-year starter at the University of Bridgeport. Captain of the Purple Knights in 2003, he earned a B.S. in Human Services. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Sport Management from SUNY Cortland. He resides in Bridgeport, CT.
MARK JURCZAK
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Mark Jurczak enters his ninth season of coaching at Purchase in 2022. His responsibilities include overseeing the Panther pitching staff and recruit management.
Following a career as a pitcher at the University of Bridgeport, Jurczak completed a B.S. in Sociology at Southern Connecticut State University. He also achieved a Master's Degree in Higher Education Administration from Post University.
Since 2004, Jurczak has been on staff for the Connecticut Blue Jays as a head coach and lead instructor for every age level. With Jurczak at the helm, the Blue Jays ranked in the top ten nationally for five straight years, won two Connecticut state championships, and six overall tournament wins. In 2010, he led his 14U club to a CABA National Championship in Detroit, MI.
Jurczak currently resides in Stratford, CT.
JR CARUSA
Assistant Coach
JR Causa enters his third season as an assistant for the Panthers in 2022. He was a two-way player in college as a pitcher and outfielder with stops at the University of New Haven, St. John's University and The University of Bridgeport.
Upon the completion of his college career, he began coaching with the Connecticut Blue Jays in 2002 - an AAU program ranging in ages from 12-18. During his coaching career, he has been part of multiple championships at the 13U, 16U and 18U levels. As a roving instructor, Causa has 20 years of experience at many different age levels.
When not working on the baseball field, Causa works as a detective with the New York Police Department and resides in Putnam county with his wife and three children.
