Baltimore Co. Softball Coach Pleads Guilty To Abusing Former Player

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A Nottingham softball coach pleaded guilty Tuesday in a child sexual abuse case involving a former player he first met when she was about 8 years old.

A release issued by the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office states 59-year-old Michael Joseph Pusateri pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor. It was in addition to Pusateri's earlier guilty plea for sexually abusing a child, which was connected to the same case.

The agency said in the release that Pusateri first met the girl when she was eight and that she joined his softball team when she was either 11 or 12.

Authorities said Pusateri coerced and enticed the girl from at least March 2025 to July 2025, when she was 16 and 17 years old at the time.

Related: Softball Coach Charged With Rape, Child Porn Offenses In Baltimore County: Police

The coach, according to findings, groomed the girl through text messages and encouraged her to send sexually explicit images that he later saved on his cellphone. Pusateri was also found to have sent the girl images of his genitals.

A search of Pusateri's phone by the Baltimore County Police Department returned records of 400 calls between him and the girl.

Pusateri was initially arrested in connection with the case in September 2025. Baltimore County Police said at the time that Pusateri worked as a softball coach for the Parkville Recreation Council and served as a volunteer assistant coach at Kenwood High School.

He also coached teams in the Middle River and Overlea-Fullerton areas, according to police.

Sentencing in the case is expected to take place Feb. 9, 2027. Pusateri is facing at least 10 years in prison.