FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama baseball associate head coach/head coach-in-waiting Mark Calvi was named the Eighth Annual Pitching Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball News Wednesday.
Calvi, who served as pitching coach at South Carolina for six seasons, helped guide the Gamecocks to the 2010 national championship. Last season, the Gamecock pitching staff ranked in the top 10 in earned run average (seventh, 3.75), strikeouts (sixth, 8.9) and hits allowed per nine innings (third, 7.48), after posting a 2.15 ERA in seven College World Series contests, which was nearly a point lower than the next best team in Omaha.
“I’m extremely honored to be receiving this award,” Calvi said.
“It definitely would not have been possible without a great group of selfless pitchers who understood that the team was more important than they were, and that the team’s success was more important than their individual accolades. We had a great strength coach in Billy Anderson who did a wonderful job with those guys.
“They are a hard-working bunch of guys who put the team first, knew their roles and went in and executed. They worked extremely hard off the field, and wanted to win in the worst way. I’m so appreciative of their hard work and what winning meant to them. Those guys put their faith in me when I recruited them, and believed in me and the program.”
The Gamecocks led the Southeastern Conference in ERA and innings pitched last season, but also allowed the fewest hits in the conference.
In three of his six seasons at USC, Calvi’s pitching staffs finished with an ERA of below 4.00, and ranked in the top five in the SEC in the category four times during that stretch. The Gamecocks ranked in the top 50 in ERA four times during Calvi’s six seasons, and also finished in the top 50 in hits allowed and strikeouts per nine innings each of his last three seasons.
The award recognizes excellence in coaching pitchers and identifies coaches who have brought honor to their schools. Calvi was recognized for his leadership ability and the positive impact he has on the lives of players on and off the field.
Calvi will be presented the award at the American Baseball Coaches Association Conference Jan. 6-9 in Nashville, Tenn., and will also be featured in the December issue of Collegiate Baseball News.
