As the current college baseball season comes to an end, one South Mississippi product is set for a new beginning on the diamond.
Vancleave native Anthony Izzio was named as the new pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Tulane this week by first-year head coach Green Wave head coach Jay Uhlman.
Tulane’s position came open when Uhlman did not retain four-year pitching coach Daniel Latham, who quickly took a job in the same capacity with Stetson.
The move marks Izzio’s second stint uptown in New Orleans, as he served as the assistant coach handling the day-to-day operations for the outfielders as well as handling batting practice responsibilities for the Green Wave three years ago.
Izzio arrives back in The Big Easy after two seasons as the pitching coach at Charleston Southern University. The Bucs ended their season with a 3-2 loss to Campbell in the Big South Championship Game.
Prior to his time at Tulane, Izzio served three seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Pearl River Community College.
During his time with the Wildcats, Izzio helped PRCC earn three consecutive National Junior College Athletic Association D-II regional appearances, with an appearance in the NJCAA D-II World Series in 2019. PRCC won 107 total games over that timeframe – 28 games in his first season, 38 in his second season and 41 in his last year.
Perfect Game recognized Izzio and PRCC’s recruiting classes as one of the 10-best in the country in each of his three seasons. Eleven Wildcats went on to sign with NCAA Division I institutions.
Before moving to PRCC, Izzio spent two seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi.
Izzio spent a season as the pitching coach at Spanish Fort High School in Alabama where he helped the Toros win 39 games during the season and capture the Class 5A state championship in 2014. That team also finished 11th according to the MaxPreps Xcellent 50 rankings.
Izzio pitched for South Alabama from 2012-13 posting an 8-1 record in 20 total appearances over two seasons with the Jaguars. He boasted a 3.41 earned run average in those two seasons, striking out 67 and walking 23. In his senior year, the Jaguars won 43 games and earned a share of the Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship, securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Starkville Regional. He was also selected to the 2013 Sun Belt Conference All Tournament Team.
After leaving Vancleave, Izzio played at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for two seasons where he recorded an 11-7 record on the mound with 128 strikeouts and 39 walks. He earned First Team All-MACJC honors as a sophomore following a 7-4 record.
Izzio lettered four years in baseball as well as football at Vancleave High School, where he was 9-2 as a prep senior after an 11-2 junior season on the diamond.
*Photo courtesy of Tulane University Athletic Department
