Varsity Coach Jeff Rago

Coach Jeff Rago comes to the Barlow baseball program from Trumbull High School, where he was a part of its coaching staff. He works at Hillcrest Middle School in Trumbull as a guidance counselor. Prior to his coaching tenure in Trumbull, he was a coach and counselor at Greenwich High School. Coach Rago coached at all three levels (freshman, junior varsity and varsity) at both schools.

This will be Coach Rago's first varsity head coaching job, and he is very excited about this opportunity. He brings with him experience, enthusiasm and knowledge of the “great game of baseball.” Rago has big plans for Barlow Baseball and vows to bring it back to its glory. He describes the program he will run as one that Joel Barlow students will be proud of and one that parents will want their kids to be a part of. His coaching philosophy focuses on the fundamentals of the game with an emphasis on attention to detail and playing the game right. His coaching style stresses respect, togetherness and sacrifice.

Coach played his college ball at Queens College in New York and is still active as a player as a member of the Monroe Top Hats in the Men's Senior Baseball League. Like the rest of the Barlow coaching staff, Coach Rago is an avid Mets fan. When he is not on the ball field, you can bet Rago is busy with his family. He is married to his college sweetheart Kim, and they have three children.

Coach Adam Marks came to Barlow in 2002. Coach Marks loves baseball and devotes his extra time to coaching baseball. He is an avid Mets fan. Marks also plays softball in the greater Fairfield Country Region. Coach Marks was recently married in Summer 2008. He also balances his time between spending quality time with his lovely wife Kate and playing the game of baseball.

Coach Ed Conway has signed onto Barlow Baseball this year as the Pitching Instructor. He has been with the Fairfield American Legion program for the past 3 years. Prior to coaching in Fairfield, Ed was the pitching coach for the Stamford Senior Legion Baseball team for three years. He played collegiate baseball at one of the top 20 ranked Junior Colleges in the country before attending Sacred Heart University. At SHU, Mr. Conway had a combined 10-2 pitching record during his Junior and Senior years. After Sacred Heart, he played semi-pro baseball in a variety of leagues including the Fairfield County Baseball League, Stamford Twilight and the MSBL. At the age of 40, he stopped pitching and began his coaching career. This is Conway's first year coaching in the High School System and he is very excited to be working with the Barlow coaching staff and the Barlow baseball players. Conway works full time for the State of Connecticut as a Chief Probation Officer and has worked for the State of Connecticut for the past 21 years.

Coach Bill Mackey is a former Barlow baseball captain, where he played four years under Coach Jim Dolan. Coach Mackey was part of the last Barlow team to win a conference championship, and was a three time all-league selection. Coach Mackey is excited for the opportunity to assist Coach Rago in restoring the Barlow baseball program to an SWC powerhouse and knows this goal can be accomplished with hard work and dedication. Coach Mackey is a Financial Manager for a local Landscape Architectural firm, and is also student teaching at Trumbull High School to become certified teacher. Coach Mackey holds Master's Degrees in Business and Education, and firmly believes that academics should always be the players first priority. Coach Mackey plays summer baseball in the MSBL in Bridgeport, and is an avid yankee fan.

Coach Jamie De Simone is in his first year with the Barlow baseball program.  His most recent coaching experience was at the AAU level. He played his college baseball at Wofford College in South Carolina and is still active as a member of the Redding Ravens of the Northeast Baseball Association.   De Simone and his wife Holly and their three children live in Redding.

Coach John Maire comes to the Barlow Baseball Program having played ball for the past 10 years, 5 on the championship  Men's league, Redding Ravens as their starting catcher. As a resident of Redding for 18 years and the parent of a Barlow baseball graduate, Coach Maire was the head coach in the RGBC Baseball Program for 10 years. The opportunity to assist the Falcons baseball program and offer his support is something not taken for granted. His love for the game equals his ability to teach young men all he has learned through his playing years and relationships with former MLB ballplayers. Coach Maire lives in Redding with his wife, Rose and their two children, Jordan and Michelle.