Carl Rausch - Men's Lacrosse Coach - Mercer University Athletics

Carl Rausch

Title:
Director of Lacrosse Operations
Email:
menslaxstaff@mercer.edu

Carl Rausch joined the Mercer men's lacrosse staff prior to the start of the 2017 season. The 2020 campaign was his fourth season on staff.

The 2020 edition of the Bears jumped out to a hot start - going 6-1 through seven games - which was the best start in program history. Mercer's only loss came to then top-10 ranked North Carolina in the second game of the season. The Bears reeled off five consecutive wins before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that did not stop the Bears from setting several milestones. Mercer was two wins away from tying the program record for victories (8) and individually, Sean Goldsmith led the nation in goals per game (4.86) and ranked fourth nationally while leading the SoCon in assists per game (6.00).

The 2019 season saw the Bears go 1-12 overall with the team's lone victory being an 18-6 triumph in SoCon play at VMI on March 23. The record, however, was misleading as Mercer suffered eight defeats by four goals or less. Ashton Wood ended the 2019 campaign ranked seventh in face-off winning percentage (.644) and 16th in ground balls per game (7.69). As a team, MU ranked in the top-25 in three categories: 14th in face-off winning percentage (.595), 20th in saves per game (13.00) and 25th in ground balls per game (32.77).

In 2018, Rausch's second season, the Bears went 4-10 with their best play coming on the road. Mercer picked up three of its four victories away from home. Mercer won two Southern Conference contests as Matt Hughes led a prolific goal scoring offense with a .564 shot percentage, the second best mark in the country. Pascal Coombs was a defensive force, causing 2.21 turnovers per contest to rank him sixth among all Division I players.

In Rausch's first season (2017), the Bears were 5-8 with a pair of wins in Southern Conference play. Mercer picked up two victories inside the friendly confines of Five Star Stadium and went 3-3 (.500) away from Five Star. Offensively, the Bears found themselves ranked ninth in caused turnovers per game (8.85) and 11th in man-up offense (0.441).

Rausch, an Annapolis, Maryland, native, has been coaching club lacrosse since 1998, while also spending 29 years as a firefighter, paramedic and fire specialist with the Baltimore County Fire Department in Towson, Maryland.

He began his coaching career with Rough Riders Lacrosse in 1998 and worked with the club from 1998-2006, 2008-2009 and 2013-2014. He also coached Baltimore Fire Lacrosse from 2003-2016.

As a player, Rausch was a four-year letterwinner at UMBC, where he helped his team win the 1980 NCAA Division II National Championship. He also helped the Retrievers to finish the 1981 season ranked No. 9 in the NCAA Division I rankings.

Rausch graduated from UMBC with a B.S. in emergency health services management in 1983.