MOBILE, Ala. – A crowd of approximately 200 people were in attendance Friday afternoon at the Mitchell Center as University of South Alabama Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann and President V. Gordon Moulton introduced Mark Calvi as the associate head coach/coach in waiting for the Jaguar baseball program. Below are a few highlights from Friday’s press conference.
Opening statement by Dr. Joel Erdmann:
“Good afternoon. Thank you all for braving the thunderstorms and rain. This is a tremendous day for the University of South Alabama and Jaguar baseball. It’s an honor for me to be sitting here. First of all, I would like to say thank you to so many people who worked hard in this process, specifically Dr. John Smith, our faculty athletic representative, and also head coach Steve Kittrell. Their commitment to this process was very substantial. I’d also like to say thank you to Mrs. Sharmyn Wall, who is our administrative assistant. She did a wonderful job doubling iteneraries, schedules and travel, and we couldn’t have done it without her. Also, many supporters and alumni who love this program and took time out of their lives to talk with me and others about the search, what we were looking for and about individuals at times. Finally, the man sitting next to me, the leader of this great university, President Gordon Moulton, for his guidance and, and I appreciate everything he has done.”
Dr. Joel Erdmann on the coaching search:
“As you know this was a very rigorous journey through about 14 to 16 days. I hope some day I have the pleasure of interviewing such a talented pool of candidates. Before we went out to begin this process, we stepped back, looked at our program and looked at where maybe we had some needs. We kept that in mind as we moved forward, talked to candidates and evaluated each one as to how their expertise, experience and characteristics matched those needs. I would like to say one thing, the young man sitting to my left, coach Calvi, was on our radar screen strongly prior to the national championship, prior to Omaha, prior to a Super Regional and prior to a regional. Part of my job is to continually explore the horizon and look for potential candidates in any potential opening. When I would talk to my peers and colleagues, and experts in the world of college baseball, one name kept coming up over and over. But he’s not here today because he won a national championship. He’s here today because he’s a tremendous young man and coach, and when the dust settled after the interviews and we had a chance to exhale and look at strengths and weaknesses, a man by the name of Calvi just started to elevate above everyone else. It became incredibly clear and simple that the best man to fill this position, and a year from now lead this program was coach Calvi. With that being said, I would like to introduce to you our head coach in waiting/associate head coach, Mr. Mark Calvi.”
Coach Mark Calvi opening statement:
“First of all, I would like to thank everybody for coming out here today. It really exceeded my expectations. I knew there was a high level of interest not only in baseball, but in athletics here at the University of South Alabama, but this is phenomenal. I’m really shocked and I’m so excited at the level of interest. First, I’d like to say what an honor it is to me and my family to be named head coach in waiting for such a coach as coach Kittrell, who I have admired from afar for the better half of my career. I have admired so many of the things that he’s been able to do with this program. So well before I ever met coach Kittrell, I knew about him and the program he had built up here, and coach Stanky prior to him. It’s an honor to be named the head coach in waiting. I understand the tradition. I understand the fans and the love for this university and its athletic program, so I’m humbled by that. This was one of the hardest, if not the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life. It was very, very hard. The University of South Carolina and its people is one of the finest places that I’ve ever been in my life. The people that I worked with, friends that we have made, colleagues and the other assistant coaches, coach [Ray] Tanner, I love them to death. We won a national championship and that will be forever etched in my mind. With that being said, I felt as though it was time to move on to something that gives me a unique opportunity, to be honest, a university that I’ve always had in my mind as a place that I would love to coach at one day. I have had a lot of dreams come true in the last month. This is one of the schools I have always wanted to coach at. Very rarely do you get to live out your dreams in your career or life, and this is the second dream come true for me in the last month. I’m extremely honored to be here.”
On his decision to come to South Alabama:
“When you have a decision like this to make, you have to take in as much information as you can, because it’s more than just about you. It’s about your family, and if you’re happy, then that transcends into the team you’re coaching, so it was very important for me to get feedback from the people who live here. There are people who live here that are South Alabama people - people from Mobile that are proud they are from here and have a degree from here. They’re proud to send their children here, and that means a lot from a loyalty and a community involvement standpoint, and that will mean a lot 20 years from now.”
On South Alabama’s facilities:
“I couldn’t believe the type of commitment that’s been put into the football fieldhouse, Mitchell Center, baseball stadium and other buildings around campus – I’m so impressed and that’s a sign of things to come, and I wanted in. It was an easy sell for me.”
On recruiting:
“This area has so much to sell. It’s close to the coast, there’s such loyal fans and the facilities are wonderful. Who wouldn’t want to live here and play here in a great conference and have the chance to win your conference, host a regional, move on and go to a Super Regional, and who knows from there. Maybe get to Omaha and roll the dice, because that’s what it’s all about. You have to have some luck, and you have to have a good team and be in the right position to succeed. My recruiting plan is simple. You have to outwork other people around you, and understand where your areas are. You want kids who want to be here. If you get kids here who want to be here, they’ll go that extra mile for the shirt on their back and the university that they’re playing for. I’ve seen the type of kid that is a South Alabama baseball player. He’s gutty, gritty and hard-nosed, and those are the right kids and the type we want to bring in – kids that want to win for the university and win for themselves second.”
On hosting a regional:
“This program has every opportunity to host a regional, and the numbers show if you advance you play at home. Coach Tanner taught me that. You do everything you can to host a regional. That’s always stuck with me and it always will. I think this program has the potential to host. The facility is wonderful, the administration supports it and they back everything that we would like to do here. It’s a win-win situation.”
On his career at South Alabama:
“I’m looking forward to a long career. I know in today’s age you see people bounce around, and that’s okay, but that’s something I’ve never done. I know this is the right place for me. I feel so confident that I made the right decision. This is where I want to be. I’m not interested in leaving in two or three years, or four or five. I’m interested in seeing this thing through and building on what the coaches before me have done. I’m in this for the long haul, and I hope the fans are as well. It’s worth the time and commitment. We want everybody to be proud of what we’re doing and the job we have done. The fans deserve that and so does the administration. I’d like to thank my parents, Danny Price, Ray Tanner and the staff I worked with, I’d like to thank them from the bottom of my heart. Without South Carolina, and without coach Price I’m probably not here today. I would also like to thank every player that I have ever coached. I would like to extend my most heartfelt and sincerest gratitude to the players that have played for me. I would like to thank Dr. Erdmann, coach Kittrell, President Moulton and Dr. John Smith, who I met with and made things very easy and comfortable for me during the interview process. And I would like to thank my wife and daughter, because without them I wouldn’t be here today. I’m so excited to be here and I really appreciate you coming out. Thank you very much.”
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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