WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue head coach Greg Goff has announced the hiring of Campbell recruiting coordinator and Indiana native Chris Marx as the Boilermakers' new pitching coach.
Marx brings 12 seasons of collegiate coaching experience to West Lafayette. He has served as both a pitching coach and hitting coach, and was the recruiting coordinator at both Arkansas-Little Rock and Campbell. The Evansville native was also an assistant at Southern Indiana when USI won the 2010 NCAA Division II national title.
Goff has also announced that Cooper Fouts will be remaining with Purdue as an assistant coach. Alumnus John Madia will continue as the team's director of operations as well.
Marx helped lead Campbell to back-to-back Big South Conference regular-season and tournament titles the last two years. The Fighting Camels represented the Big South at NCAA Regionals hosted by Georgia and East Carolina. They were Regional finalists in 2019 after winning their first two games in Greenville.
"I would like to thank Coach Goff for the opportunity to join such a prestigious program and university," Marx said. "I am honored and humbled at the belief that he has shown in me. I'm extremely excited to get started working with the great people on his staff and student-athletes at Purdue."
Marx was part of Justin Haire's staff at Campbell. Haire spent seven seasons on Goff's staff at Campbell, succeeding Goff as head coach after Louisiana Tech hired Goff in the summer of 2014. Marx joined Campbell that same summer. Originally serving as the hitting coach, Marx made the transition to pitching coach in time for the 2018 campaign. The Camels compiled a 72-47 record (40-13 Big South) the last two years, winning at least 35 games both seasons.
"It's a great day having Chris, Niki, Clayton and Maddox joining the Purdue baseball family," Goff said. "Chris comes highly recommended by one of my closest friends in Justin Haire at Campbell. Coach Marx has a proven track record of developing young men into high draft picks and winning championships. We are very blessed to welcome the Marx family back home to the state of Indiana, helping us continue the success of Boilermaker baseball."
Campbell had a program-record four players selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. Led by first-rounder Seth Johnson, a right-handed pitcher selected 40th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays, three were picked in the first nine rounds. Closer Tyson Messer was drafted in the ninth round by the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros selected 2019 Big South Pitcher of the Year Michael Horrell in the 30th round. The Astros also drafted Campbell's top hitter, Matthew Barefoot, in the sixth round. Along with racking up 30 home runs and 228 hits over his three seasons at CU, Barefoot also pitched in 16 games.
Marx's recruits earned Freshman All-American honors each of the last three seasons. He coached Allan Winans to Big South Pitcher of the Year honors in 2018. Winans was drafted in the 17th round by the New York Mets.
Campbell's pitching staff led the Big South in eight statistical categories in both 2018 and 2019. The 2018 team set a program record with 543 strikeouts, racking up 111 more than the previous benchmark. The staff had 511 Ks in 2019. As the pitching coach at Little Rock in 2014, the Trojans set a program record for team ERA. His final recruiting class at UALR featured three MLB draft picks, a feat he duplicated two years later at Campbell.
Marx began his coaching career in his hometown as a graduate assistant at Southern Indiana in the fall of 2007. USI's national championship team won a school-record 52 games and set team benchmarks for hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and runs scored. The Screaming Eagles hit 48 home runs in 2009 and 49 in 2010.
Marx made the move to Little Rock in time for the 2012 season. UALR led the nation in home runs per game in 2012 while hitting a program-record 66 (in 54 games) and leading the Sun Belt Conference in nine statistical categories. The Trojans were again among the top 10 nationally in homers (55) the following year.
Marx's move to Campbell coincided with a power surge for the Camels. They won 32 games in 2015 while posting the program's top home run total since 2010. Cole Hallum was named the Big South Player of the Year after hitting 12 homers. Outfielder Cedric Mullins (80 hits) and catcher Steven Leonard (29 steals) were both drafted. Drew Butler led the nation with 39 stolen bases in 2017.
Marx played collegiately at Olney Central College (2004-05) and Ouachita Baptist University (2006-07). Highlighted by a 50-win season for an OBU team that climbed to No. 1 in the NCAA DII rankings in 2007, he was part of school-record win totals all four years. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Indiana.
Marx and his wife, Niki, have two children, Clayton and Maddox.
MARX'S COACHING CAREER BY SEASON
Purdue – Hired in June 2019
Campbell – 2015-19
Little Rock – 2012-14
Southern Indiana – 2008-11
Photos of Marx at Campbell courtesy of photographer Bennett Scarborough.
Marx brings 12 seasons of collegiate coaching experience to West Lafayette. He has served as both a pitching coach and hitting coach, and was the recruiting coordinator at both Arkansas-Little Rock and Campbell. The Evansville native was also an assistant at Southern Indiana when USI won the 2010 NCAA Division II national title.
Goff has also announced that Cooper Fouts will be remaining with Purdue as an assistant coach. Alumnus John Madia will continue as the team's director of operations as well.
Marx helped lead Campbell to back-to-back Big South Conference regular-season and tournament titles the last two years. The Fighting Camels represented the Big South at NCAA Regionals hosted by Georgia and East Carolina. They were Regional finalists in 2019 after winning their first two games in Greenville.
"I would like to thank Coach Goff for the opportunity to join such a prestigious program and university," Marx said. "I am honored and humbled at the belief that he has shown in me. I'm extremely excited to get started working with the great people on his staff and student-athletes at Purdue."
Marx was part of Justin Haire's staff at Campbell. Haire spent seven seasons on Goff's staff at Campbell, succeeding Goff as head coach after Louisiana Tech hired Goff in the summer of 2014. Marx joined Campbell that same summer. Originally serving as the hitting coach, Marx made the transition to pitching coach in time for the 2018 campaign. The Camels compiled a 72-47 record (40-13 Big South) the last two years, winning at least 35 games both seasons.
"It's a great day having Chris, Niki, Clayton and Maddox joining the Purdue baseball family," Goff said. "Chris comes highly recommended by one of my closest friends in Justin Haire at Campbell. Coach Marx has a proven track record of developing young men into high draft picks and winning championships. We are very blessed to welcome the Marx family back home to the state of Indiana, helping us continue the success of Boilermaker baseball."
Campbell had a program-record four players selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. Led by first-rounder Seth Johnson, a right-handed pitcher selected 40th overall by the Tampa Bay Rays, three were picked in the first nine rounds. Closer Tyson Messer was drafted in the ninth round by the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros selected 2019 Big South Pitcher of the Year Michael Horrell in the 30th round. The Astros also drafted Campbell's top hitter, Matthew Barefoot, in the sixth round. Along with racking up 30 home runs and 228 hits over his three seasons at CU, Barefoot also pitched in 16 games.
Marx's recruits earned Freshman All-American honors each of the last three seasons. He coached Allan Winans to Big South Pitcher of the Year honors in 2018. Winans was drafted in the 17th round by the New York Mets.
Campbell's pitching staff led the Big South in eight statistical categories in both 2018 and 2019. The 2018 team set a program record with 543 strikeouts, racking up 111 more than the previous benchmark. The staff had 511 Ks in 2019. As the pitching coach at Little Rock in 2014, the Trojans set a program record for team ERA. His final recruiting class at UALR featured three MLB draft picks, a feat he duplicated two years later at Campbell.
Marx began his coaching career in his hometown as a graduate assistant at Southern Indiana in the fall of 2007. USI's national championship team won a school-record 52 games and set team benchmarks for hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and runs scored. The Screaming Eagles hit 48 home runs in 2009 and 49 in 2010.
Marx made the move to Little Rock in time for the 2012 season. UALR led the nation in home runs per game in 2012 while hitting a program-record 66 (in 54 games) and leading the Sun Belt Conference in nine statistical categories. The Trojans were again among the top 10 nationally in homers (55) the following year.
Marx's move to Campbell coincided with a power surge for the Camels. They won 32 games in 2015 while posting the program's top home run total since 2010. Cole Hallum was named the Big South Player of the Year after hitting 12 homers. Outfielder Cedric Mullins (80 hits) and catcher Steven Leonard (29 steals) were both drafted. Drew Butler led the nation with 39 stolen bases in 2017.
Marx played collegiately at Olney Central College (2004-05) and Ouachita Baptist University (2006-07). Highlighted by a 50-win season for an OBU team that climbed to No. 1 in the NCAA DII rankings in 2007, he was part of school-record win totals all four years. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Indiana.
Marx and his wife, Niki, have two children, Clayton and Maddox.
MARX'S COACHING CAREER BY SEASON
Purdue – Hired in June 2019
Campbell – 2015-19
Little Rock – 2012-14
Southern Indiana – 2008-11
Photos of Marx at Campbell courtesy of photographer Bennett Scarborough.