MOBILE, Ala. (July 29, 2010) - NSU baseball alumnus Mark Calvi was introduced as the University of South Alabama's coach-in-waiting on July 16th. The former pitching coach at South Carolina will work under retiring baseball coach Steve Kittrell for a year before taking over the Jaguars' program at the end of the 2011 season.

Under the direction of Calvi in 2010, the South Carolina pitching staff was among the best in the SEC and the nation. The Gamecock pitching staff had a phenomenal College World Series, posting a 2.15 ERA, almost one whole point lower than the next-lowest team at the CWS, as the Gamecocks won the school's first national title in baseball. This past year, USC's staff boasted a team ERA of 3.45, seventh best in the country, and also tallied 625 strikeouts to just 220 walks, averaging 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings, sixth best in the nation.

Calvi has a combined 17 years experience as a pitching coach, including 11 years at Florida International University and six years at South Carolina.

Originally from Marco Island, Fla., Calvi earned three varsity letters in baseball at Nova Southeastern University as a catcher. After earning a bachelor's degree in secondary education, Calvi signed a professional baseball contract with the Seattle Mariners organization in 1992, helping his team win a Northwest League Championship that season.