Bob Keller
Assistant Coach

Bob Keller joins the South Alabama coaching staff after one season as pitching coach at Dallas Baptist, where he helped lead the Patriots to a 42-20 record and NCAA Super Regional in 2011. 

DBU won the Fort Worth Regional in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2011, advancing to a Super Regional against California in Santa Clara, Calif.

Patriot right-handers Brandon Williamson and Chris Haney were each selected in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Williamson was taken by the Milwaukee Brewers after leading DBU in wins (10), strikeouts (71) and innings pitched (123). Haney was selected by the San Diego Padres after going 4-2 with 15 saves and a 2.17 ERA. His 15 saves tied for 10th nationally. He led the Patriots in appearances (32), and struck out 42 batters against just 13 walks.

Prior to joining the DBU staff, Keller spent six seasons as the pitching coach at Michigan. He brings 17 years of Division I coaching experience to South Alabama, and has participated in six NCAA Regional Tournaments and two Super Regionals.

In his time at Michigan, Keller had 18 pitchers earn all-Big Ten honors, and also had 13 pitchers selected in the MLB Draft. Keller saw four of those pitchers drafted in 2005, including Clayton Richard of the San Diego Padres.

Keller’s pitching staff finished in the top two of the Big Ten in overall team ERA three of his last four seasons. His staff led the Big Ten in wins and saves, and was second in strikeouts and third in overall team ERA (5.22) in 2010. In 2009, the Wolverines finished first with a 4.84 team ERA, while in 2008, his staff helped guide the Wolverines to the most wins in Big Ten history with a team ERA of 4.19. In 2006, All-Americans Chris Fetter, drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2009, and Zach Putnam, drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2008, led Keller’s staff to a 2.91 ERA in the Big Ten. In 2010, Keller had three Michigan pitchers drafted in the first ten rounds.

Before his stint at Michigan, Keller spent three seasons as the pitching coach at Birmingham-Southern, under current University of Alabama Birmingham head coach, Brian Shoop. Under Keller’s direction, the Panther pitching staff posted the best team ERA in the Big South Conference, and had six pitchers taken in the draft. Keller’s staff played an instrumental role in the Panther’s 2004 season, in which they posted an impressive 47-18 record, won the Big South regular season title, and ranked 29th in the NCAA with a 3.82 ERA.

From 1995-2001, Keller served as an assistant coach at Georgia State, spending three seasons as the recruiting coordinator under Head Coach Mike Hurst.

Keller had an outstanding career as both a pitcher and outfielder at Biola University. A two-time NCCAA All-American, Keller held school records for RBI and doubles, and ranked second in hits and homeruns upon graduation in 1992. In his first career start as a freshman, Keller threw a complete game victory against Texas Tech University.

Keller earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education while at Biola, and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology while at Georgia State. He and his wife, Jeannie, have two sons, Charles (7) and Brady (4).

Jerry Zulli
Assistant Coach

Jerry Zulli joins the South Alabama baseball coaching staff as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator after spending seven seasons in the same role at Memphis.

Under Zulli, Memphis led Conference USA in hitting this season with a .309 team batting average, while also leading the league in on-base percentage (.394). The Tigers ranked in the top five in nearly every offensive statistical category this year, and finished second in doubles (117) and third in slugging percentage (.430) and sacrifice flies (35). Memphis ranked fourth in C-USA in runs scored (365), RBI (329), total bases (841) and tied for fourth in hits (604).

Shortstop Chad Zurcher was named the C-USA Player of the Year this season, and earned third-team All-American honors from several organizations, including the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Zurcher led the nation in batting average (.443) and on-base percentage (.547).

In his seven seasons at Memphis, Zulli coached eight all-conference student-athletes who were honored 10 times. He helped lead the Tigers to 36 wins and an NCAA Regional appearance in 2007. This year, five Memphis student-athletes were taken in the MLB draft. In his seven seasons at Memphis, Zulli has coached 12 student-athletes who have been taken in the draft.

Prior to joining the Memphis staff, Zulli served as an assistant coach at Middle Georgia College from 2002-04 where he helped the Warriors to a 130-51 record in three seasons, and a 2004 JUCO World Series appearance.

Zulli, a New Orleans, La., native, lettered two seasons at MGC where he earned the Terry Daniels Award and helped lead the Warriors to the Region XVII Championship in 1999. Following his two years at MGC, Zulli returned to his hometown where he lettered for two seasons at New Orleans before receiving his bachelor’s degree in sports management in 2002. He is married to the former Kristen Bell of Lawrenceville, Ga.

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Alan Luckie
Assistant Coach

Alan Luckie enters his sixth season as an assistant coach at South Alabama in 2012. He works with USA infielders and baserunners, and also assists with Jaguar hitters. Additionally, Luckie works closely with the USA Dugout Club.
 
Luckie’s infield defenses have put up impressive numbers. The Jag defense has fielded at least .966 in each of his five seasons, and the 2010 mark of .972 tied a single-season record at USA. The Jaguars' 2008 mark of .969 was fourth-best in school history. The Jaguar defense also finished third in the nation by turning 68 double plays during the 2008 regular season.
In 2010, Luckie helped Jaguar second baseman Zach Grichor become the program's first Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. Grichor committed just two errors in 311 chances to earn the honor.

In 2011, Luckie helped freshman Logan Kirkland make a midseason switch from second base to shortstop, which resulted in Kirkland being named second-team Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Baseball America.
 
Luckie came to USA at the start of the 2007 season after spending five seasons working with Stu Fuller at Fairhope High School. The Pirates either captured or tied for the regional championship crown in each of those five seasons. Those teams compiled a combined record of 127-65.
 
A graduate of Fairhope High School in 1980, Luckie went on to play two seasons at Faulkner State before moving on to Spring Hill College, where he played for coach Steve Kittrell in 1983 and was an all-conference performer there in 1984. He graduated from Spring Hill in 1984.
 
Using opportunities from life-long friend and Florida Marlins Vice President of Player Personnel and Assistant General Manager, Dan Jennings, Luckie has garnered knowledge from several professional coaches including Jack McKeon, Jim Presley and New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
 
A highly successful businessman involved heavily in the South Alabama community, Luckie brings a vast amount of experience both on and off the field to the Jaguar family.
 
He resides in Point Clear, Ala., with his wife Kerry. They have two daughters, Jenna and KaylaAnn.

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Andrew Carden
Director of Operations