MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama baseball head coach Mark Calvi announced the addition of Chris Prothro as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator on Tuesday.

Prothro joins the Jaguar coaching staff after spending the past eight seasons at Nicholls State, where he served as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the last four years. 

"Being new to this area myself when I first got here, I had so much respect for the Nicholls State program, team and coaching staff after playing them a couple of years," Calvi said. "With Chris being an assistant there and knowing this area and the job he and (head coach) Seth (Thibodeaux) had done there, I felt that he was the best candidate for this job. He understands the area and the type of kids we like to recruit and need to recruit to be successful here. Chris has done a fantastic job recruiting and coaching those players in his time at Nicholls State, and we're fortunate enough to get him here.

"I was looking for a guy who knows the ins and outs, and can find the under-the-radar kind of guy as well as the higher-profile player. Those are the kind of kids who have made this program what it is through the years, and he has the ability to go and find them. Those type of recruits will continue to allow South Alabama to get better and get to where we want to be and that's the College World Series. We're super excited with Chris coming on board, and I couldn't be happier with the hire."

During his eight seasons at NSU, Prothro helped produce six all-Southland Conference honorees and nine Major League Baseball draft picks and signees including four from the 2015 squad. The NSU pitching staff, which Prothro directed in 2015, led the Southland Conference in ERA (2.47), opposing batting average (.242), saves (17), hits allowed (425), runs allowed (181), earned runs allowed (131), and allowed the fewest home runs (13) in the league as well. 

Under Prothro's guidance, right-hander Justin Sinbaldi and left-hander Stuart Holmes were named first-team all-region by the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2015. Sinbaldi was a Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger third-team All-American, and also named to the all-Louisiana Sports Writers Association first team while Holmes earned second-team honors. 

Sinbaldi was named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year and was a first-team all-conference selection after leading the league with a 1.40 ERA. Holmes led the league and set a school record with 15 saves, and was named the Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year and a third-team ABCA All-American before being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Right-hander Ryan Deemes was also selected by the Houston Astros in this year's MLB Draft, and received all-Southland Conference honorable mention while southpaw Grant Borne was taken by the Washington Nationals in the seventh round of this year's draft.

"South Alabama has a rich tradition of excellence on the baseball field and academically as well," Prothro said. "It's a place I have looked on for years and know that it is a great place to be. The opportunity to come and work with Coach Calvi and his staff and continue to learn and improve along with winning some games was a very exciting opportunity. 

"I learned a lot at Nicholls State about how to be creative and do some things with smaller resources. That prepares you to be creative in the recruiting and coaching process. Hard work and developing relationships was what is was all about. It was a great learning experience and I would do it all over again there, because it was a great learning experience for me."

Prior to his time at NSU, Prothro served as assistant coach at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) where he also held the title of hitting instructor while working with catchers and outfielders in addition to assisting with recruiting. In two years at NIACC, Prothro coached three National Junior College Athletic Association All-Americans along with back-to-back regional player-of-the-year honorees and 16 all-region performers.

Prothro lettered for two seasons at Arkansas State (2004-05) as a catcher, and earned his bachelor's degree in history from ASU in 2005. He also served as a graduate assistant at ASU prior to receiving his degree. He began his collegiate playing career at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., where he helped the Demons capture the 2002 Southland Conference championship before transferring to Crowder College for his sophomore season where he earned his associate's degree.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

—USA—