Staten Island, NY - It was announced today that the College of Staten Island Baseball Team has named Vinny Fiore their new pitching coach.  Fiore is currently the pitching coach at his alma matter New Utrecht High School where he has been coaching since 2012, and in just his second year with the team, New Utrecht qualified for the Elite 8 playoffs. He began his collegiate playing career at Monroe College where he was the Cy Young Award winner for region 15.  After his sophomore year, he transferred to Division I University of Hartford where he went on to earn his BA in Criminal Justice.  Currently, Fiore also works as a pitching instructor for the Brooklyn Sluggers facility located in Red Hook Brooklyn.  He also coaches a travel team with the TKR Reds program located on Staten Island's South Shore.

"I am very excited to get started," said Fiore.  "This is a dream come true for me, and I've always wanted to coach at the college level.  I want to thank Coach Mauro and the College of Staten Island for this amazing opportunity." 

The newest member of CSI's coaching staff hopes to play a role in guiding the Dolphins to their first postseason berth as a Division II program.  "I plan on having a pitching staff that can bring us to a conference championship. The staff mentality will be that nothing is impossible, and we will get after it every time one of my pitchers is on the mound.  I want my pitchers to know I will be there for them 100% of the time and their success is what I will strive for."

Baseball Head Coach Michael Mauro shared his excitement about the hire and he has seen nothing but positivity from his new pitching coach. "I couldn't be more happy with Vinny coming on board with our program," Mauro said.  "After interviewing and speaking with him over the last month, I know that he is exactly what I am looking for in a pitching coach. He has extensive knowledge in the game from playing at the D-I level, and he also knows the importance of conditioning to get the staff ready."

Mauro also understands the significance of building relationships with his players, another area that he believes Fiore excels in.  "Having relationships with his pitchers and making this the best four-year experience for our players is extremely important to me, and he felt the exact same way," Mauro said of his new pitching coach.  "We are bringing in 17 new players for the Fall and 10 are pitchers, so we have a lot of work to do.  Vinny will make that transition much easier for me and our staff and I cannot wait to get started."

This season, Fiore and the Dolphins will bring in plenty of new talent ahead of their second year of eligibility for the postseason in NCAA Division II.  The regular season will begin in late February with the team's annual Myrtle Beach trip before the team returns to Staten Island for their home-opener in early-March.