Chris Pemberton was named head coach of the Bartlett baseball program Thursday, the high school announced.

He becomes the second varsity baseball coach in Bartlett history, replacing program founder Rocco Marinucci, who resigned from that position for personal reasons on Sept. 29.

Pemberton graduated from Prospect High School in 1989 and went on to earn a degree in political science from Illinois Wesleyan University. He has coached in the Bartlett baseball program for nine years, most recently at the sophomore level. He teaches social studies at Bartlett.

"Having been in the program for nine years, I see the opportunity Bartlett has to be a good program," Pemberton said. "I'm looking forward to the chance to lead and see what I can do."

Pemberton played baseball at Prospect and "got a taste of Division III baseball" while at Illinois Wesleyan. He cited his high school coach, Prospect's Larry Pohlman, who coached the Knights for 29 seasons, as one of his main influences.

"Pitching and defense is something (Pohlman) always reinforced, and I'd like to see my teams in the same light because pitching and defense win you baseball games," Pemberton said.