STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern Head Baseball Coach Rodney Hennon announced the addition of former GS Baseball Player A.J. Battisto as the pitching coach on Thursday morning. Battisto joins the Eagles after an All-SoCon selection in 2007 under coach Hennon.
 
"I am thrilled to announce the return of A.J. Battisto to Statesboro as our pitching coach," head coach Rodney Hennon said. "AJ is a winner who embodies all the qualities that we seek to instill in our student-athletes, and he embraces all that Georgia Southern is about. He has an outstanding track record of recruiting and developing pitchers at the division one level and has a very good understanding of the type of player that fits our culture. He will make a positive impact on the lives of our young men both on and off the field and help them reach their full potential. We are excited to welcome AJ along with his wife Brandy and daughter Maebry back to the Eagle Baseball Family."
 
Battisto collected 12 saves during his collegiate career, including 10 in his final season. He graduated from Georgia Southern with a perfect 12-0 record over three years and was selected in the 30^th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins. 

The native of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, appeared in 167 games during his career, posting a 21-10 record with a 3.62 ERA and nine saves. Battisto's career accolades include a 2008 South Atlantic League All-Star selection during a season in which the pitcher posted an 8-1 record with a 1.55 ERA over 49 appearances.
 
Battisto spent seven years pitching in the minor leagues, including three separate tours of duty with the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs.

Battisto then went to North Carolina Central in 2016. Under Battisto's guidance, NCCU finished in the top five in the MEAC in ERA three out of four seasons. In the last two years, the Eagles had the second-best staff ERA in the conference. The Eagles also were in the top two every season in total strikeouts and strikeout per 9.
 
The first two signing classes Battisto was a part of at New Orleans featured three future draft picks in Kevin Kelleher (12^thround), Shawn Semple (11^th round) and Bryan Warzek (6^th round). In 2021, Battisto coached three Southland Pitcher of the Week honorees (Chris Turpin twice, Caleb Seroski). Under his guidance, Turpin was in the top 50 in the NCAA in strikeout-to-walk ratio and Seroski had the fourth-highest single-season save total in program history.