At the 2024 annual State of Marshall Athletics conference, Director of Athletics Christian Spears announced that two Marshall coaches are receiving contract extensions. The announcement came after the approval by the MU Board of Governor’s on Wednesday, June 12.

Marshall Men’s Soccer coach Chris Grassie’s extension sees him staying at Marshall for seven more years, ending in the 2030-31 school year. Marshall Baseball coach Greg Beals’ extension is for two years and keeps him until 2029.

“Both coach Grassie and coach Beals and their respective families have done an amazing job of successfully building the bond between Marshall University and the Huntington community, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue that momentum and success for both programs,” Spears said.

In the past seven years, Grassie has a record of 85-35-17 with a National Championship win in 2021 and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the past five seasons. Spears has high hopes for the next seven years of soccer at Marshall.

“This one is the quintessential no-brainer,” Spears said. “Marshall and Huntington are on the rise in so many ways, and coach Grassie, along with our soccer program, help us remember we can do anything here at Marshall. It is only going to get better from here. Seven more years of National Championship level soccer. I am thrilled for our entire community.”

Beals’ contract highlights the hope of Marshall Baseball and the new Jack Cook Field, which opened with a first pitch home run by Marshall Tre Hondras.

“We are building something really special in baseball,” Spears said. “You can sense it and see some of the early indications of what is coming. You have a person who has done it before, knows what it takes to get there and what is expected. Combine that with the energy and enthusiasm of a community and university that just opened a new ballpark that plays in a nationally competitive league, and we have it all.”

“If we all stay together, we are going to win here because of all those factors,” he said. “We want to make sure coach Beals, his family and our student-athletes know we are all in on seeing them succeed.”

“I am proud to work at a place with a Board of Governors and a president in Brad Smith who recognize what special things we have going on in Marshall Athletics,” Spears said.

The full video of the State of Marshall Athletics in the Shewey Multipurpose Room can be found at the Marshall Thundering Herd YouTube page.