Mark Calvi, South Alabama Jaguars

Mark Calvi is in his sixth season as head coach of the South Alabama Jaguars. He became the fifth head coach in South Alabama baseball history at the conclusion of the 2011 season, after spending the previous slate as associate head coach/head coach in waiting. Calvi has led the Jaguars to three Sun Belt Conference championships in the last four years and the team entered the final weekend of the regular season ranked 25th in the nation.

In his career, which spans 21 years at the collegiate level, including an 11-season stint at fellow Sun Belt Conference member Florida International, Calvi has worked with more than 40 pitchers who have either been drafted or signed with Major League Baseball teams – that includes seven who have reached the majors – along with position players Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Walker.

Calvi came to South Alabama from the University of South Carolina, where he served as pitching coach for six seasons. In 2010, Calvi’s Gamecock pitching staff led USC to the national championship, ranking in the top 10 in earned run average (seventh, 3.45), 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. The Gamecocks led the Southeastern Conference in ERA and innings pitched, but also allowed the fewest hits in the conference.

Calvi was named the recipient of the Eighth Annual Pitching Coach of the Year Award by Collegiate Baseball News in September 2010 for his efforts in helping lead the Gamecocks to the national title.

In his first season at South Alabama, Calvi led the Jaguars to their highest Sun Belt Conference Tournament seed (No. 4) since the 2006 season. USA closed the 2012 campaign with consecutive wins over Western Kentucky and Florida Atlantic to close the SBC Championship. In 2013, Calvi led the Jags to their 14th SBC championship and 25th NCAA Regional appearance after recording the program’s first 40-plus win season since 2003 was named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Diamond South Central Region Coach of the Year.

Seven Jags earned all-conference honors in 2013, and Jordan Patterson was named the SBC Player of the Year becoming just the sixth Jaguar in the program’s history to earn the honor. Patterson and Kyle Bartsch also earned ABCA South/Central all-region honors. Bartsch, Patterson,