Mark Calvi became the fifth head coach in South Alabama baseball history at the conclusion of the 2011 season, after spending the year as associate head coach/head coach in waiting.

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 career, which spans 17 years at the collegiate level, including an 11-season stint at fellow Sun Belt Conference member Florida International, Calvi has worked with 35 pitchers who have either been drafted or signed with Major League Baseball teams – that includes five who have reached the majors.

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.

During Calvi’s six seasons with the program, the Gamecocks reached an NCAA Regional every year, advanced to three Super Regionals and claimed the 2010 CWS title. USC posted an overall record of 262-140 (.668) during his tenure there. Additionally, three of his hurlers earned Freshman All-America honors while Blake Cooper, who Calvi helped end the year second in the country in wins (13) and 10th in strikeouts (126), was voted to multiple All-America squads in 2010.

Prior to joining the staff at South Carolina, Calvi was an assistant at FIU for 11 years. During his time with the Golden Panthers, they advanced to an NCAA Regional seven times while moving on to the 2001 Super Regional. His staff led the country in ERA in 1995 (2.40) – FIU’s 16 shutouts that spring are tied for the sixth-highest total in NCAA history – and ’99 (3.07), and in 1998 the Golden Panthers’ 675 strikeouts were tops in the nation. Calvi’s unit recorded an ERA that finished in the top 10 in the NCAA five times.

His efforts in Miami helped Joseph Burns pace the nation with a 1.20 ERA during the 1995 campaign, while a year later Evan Thomas led the country with 220 strikeouts – the latter is the fourth-highest figure ever in the NCAA. In all, Calvi produced eight All-Americans and 13 all-conference selections with the Golden Panthers.

Calvi was a three-year letterwinner as a catcher at Nova Southeastern, and after he earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education, he signed a professional contract with the Seattle Mariners. Following a season in which he helped his team win the Northwest League championship, he worked for a year as a scout for the Mariners.

A native of Marco Island, Fla., Calvi and his wife Kaylie have one daughter, Taylor (17).