Bush hired as baseball coach at Ligonier Valley

By: Paul Schofield
Thursday, July 29, 2021 | 7:43 PM

When Ligonier Valley athletic director Wesley Siko looked at Jason Bush’s resume, he knew he found the school’s next baseball coach.

He was convinced of it after sitting down and interviewing him.

The Ligonier Valley School District’s board hired Bush by a vote of 7-0 on Wednesday at the district’s monthly meeting.

Bush has been an assistant coach at Chatham (four years) and St. Vincent (nine years) and successfully has maintained a strong American Legion program as coach at Latrobe (22 years, 16 as head coach). He has coached Ligonier Valley players on that team.

“What sold me on Jason is his knowledge of the game and experience and success he’s had with the Jethawks (Latrobe Legion),” Siko said. “We’re excited about the hire.”

Bush is replacing Brett Marabito, who stepped down after being hired as an assistant principal at the high school.

“Brett built a good foundation,” Siko said. “We’re confident that Jason will build on that.”

This is Bush’s first high school job, and he’s eager to get started.

“The future is bright for all sports,” Bush said. “I believe the move to the WPIAL will be good for Ligonier Valley. I’ve coached Ligonier kids in Legion and the Latrobe/Derry Teener League.

“This is my first venture in high school. There are things that I will have to learn. But I’m excited for the opportunity.”

Ligonier Valley was the Heritage Conference champion in 2018. It was in line for a better season in 2019, but the coronavirus ended that season.

This past season, Ligonier Valley was 7-12 overall, 4-6 in Section 3-3A.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Ligonier Valley