Freshly-hired Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn is adding a familiar face to his coaching staff. Friday, Alabama announced the hiring of Maryland assistant Anthony Papio, who spent the past seven seasons with the Terrapins, including six under Vaughn.
“I’m fired up to welcome Anthony to Tuscaloosa,” said Vaughn said of the hire. “Pap played for me at Maryland and has coached beside me the last seven years. He’s the most competitive guy that I’ve ever met. He’s a winner and he loves his players. I could not be more excited to have him and his fiancé, Ally, join us down here at Alabama.”
At Alabama, Papio will work with hitters and the offense as a whole while also assisting with recruiting efforts. TideIllustrated understands he will replace Matt Reida, who had been serving in a similar role the past two seasons.
Papio began his coaching career as a student assistant coach for Maryland in 2017 before being elevated to a volunteer assistant role from 2017-21. He spent the last two seasons serving as a paid assistant.
Throughout his entire time with the Terapins, Papio worked with outfielders and coordinated the base-running while also assisting with hitters. He also served as Maryland’s first-base coach and compiled scouting reports for the team. Maryland produced 15 draftees during his tenure while 10 players earned All-America accolades and 25 were selected to All-Big Ten teams.
Papio was a part of four NCAA Tournament teams as the Terrapins compiled a 183-117 during his time in College Park, Maryland. A former outfielder for the Terps from 2012-16, he was involved in over 350 wins between his playing and coaching career, the most successful stretch in program history.
Last season, Vaughn and Papio helped Maryland finish as both the regular season and tournament champions in the Big Ten while earning a spot in an NCAA Regional for a third consecutive season. Papio's efforts with the hitters helped the Terps lead the Big Ten in nearly every major offensive statistic including average, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, runs and walks along with on-base and slugging percentage.
