ETSU baseball welcomed new pitching coach Jamie Pinzino on Jan. 11. A veteran in the bullpen, Pinzino has established himself as a winning coach in the nation.
Before COVID-19 put a halt to NCAA baseball last season, Pinzino helped lead Army to two consecutive conference championships in 2018 and 2019, before joining Coach Pennucci’s staff this season.
“[Coaching] is something I’m meant to do.” Coach Pinzino said as he spoke to the media Jan. 15.
Last season, COVID-19 halted the hot-start for the Bucs, finishing at a 12-3 record. As the new season approaches, there is much to anticipate for Bucs Baseball.
Pinzino emphasized that he is excited to join Coach Pennucci’s staff.
“The program is in a great place,” Pinzino said. “I’ve been to Johnson City one other time. I walked into the facility and I was blown away for a mid-major program and the facility. This is a pretty cool spot.”
When asked about his career, Pinzino explained how he views his own success.
“You’re busy, right, there’s not really a time where you’re sitting back and ‘Oh, let’s take an inventory of my career,’ I would say,” Pinzino explained. “The best moments, when you get close to that, [measuring success is] when you get a text from an alum or catching up with a guy you coached 10 years ago…that’s why we do it.”
Discussing his expectations coming into the 2021 season, Pinzino was not shy about his opinion on setting early expectations.
“Coaches can always say ‘Hey, I think we’re going to be good, we’re the team to beat,’ or some guys will downplay that…whatever your strategy is for that stuff as a coach, you never know,” Pinzino said.
“Until you play 15-20 games in college baseball, you have no idea how good you are,” Pinzino concluded. “I’m never in the prediction business, we’ll just get as prepared as we can, me learn these pitchers as well as I can, help these guys develop and we will see where the chips fall.”
