Mike Scanzano, a former two-time All-Big East and professional baseball player, will take over the Barons’ baseball program for the 2018 season.
Marlton native Mike Scanzano has had a myriad of experiences on the baseball diamond.
From being a four-time all-Olympic Conference player for Cherokee High School in the late 1990s to playing in college and professional baseball to being a high school and college assistant coach, Scanzano has gathered years of experience on the baseball field.
Now, Scanzano will be in charge of a college program for the first time next spring, as he has been hired as the new head baseball coach at Rowan College at Burlington County.
“This was a good opportunity,” Scanzano said. “It was perfect for me and my family. I thought it would be a perfect fit.”
Scanzano, who now lives in Mickleton with his wife and two daughters, attended Cherokee High School in the late 1990s, playing football, basketball and baseball. On the baseball diamond, he was a two-time First Team All-State player and was named an honorable mention All-American in 1999. Scanzano was inducted into the Cherokee Hall of Fame in 2011.
After graduating from high school, Scanzano attended Louisburg College in North Carolina. In 2002, Scanzano helped Louisburg advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I World Series. Following the 2002 season, Scanzano transferred to the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a two-time all-Big East third baseman with the Panthers.
Beginning in 2005, Scanzano began to play professional baseball in various independent minor leagues. Scanzano would play in 389 games for six different teams. His best season was in 2007, when he batted .309 for the Southern Illinois Miners of the Frontier League. Scanzano was a two-time all-star in the Frontier League.
During his pro playing career, Scanzano began coaching. He would coach teams alongside his brother, John, in the fall after his pro season ended.
“I had been doing private lessons since 2005,” Scanzano said. “Then the lessons turned into my brother John and I opening up a sports facility.”
The Scanzano brothers are the owners of Scanzano Sports Center in Cherry Hill. John is also the head baseball coach at King’s Christian School in Cherry Hill, and Mike helped him as an assistant coach. Last year, Scanzano took another step forward when he became an assistant coach at Cairn University, a NCAA Division II school located in Langhorne, Pa.
“Getting involved with the AAU teams then coaching at the high school level and coaching at the college level, you pick up a lot of experience,” he said.
Scanzano also feels he acquired tons of experience playing under so many coaches during his playing career.
“I got the experience itself playing and learning and understanding the game,” he said. “Everyone has their own philosophy.”
Scanzano met with his new team last Monday and laid out his plan for the Barons’ program. RCBC finished the 2017 season with a record of 28–20, a seven-win improvement from the team’s 21–21 record in 2016.
Scanzano talked about the importance of team unity with his players, saying the teams that stick together are always the ones that have the most success.
“I played on a lot of teams,” he said. “I played on teams with serious, serious talent. The best teams are the ones who play together and have each others back.”
Scanzano said he is looking forward to giving back to a new generation of young players and hopes to set up RCBC’s student-athletes for success.
“I credit my success to the coaches that I had,” he said. “I’m fortunate enough to give back to the players that I work with.”
