WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Palm Beach Atlantic baseball team head coach Kent Bottenfield announced on Tuesday afternoon that Mitch Calandra will join his staff as an assistant coach.
"I'm truly honored and excited to be named the Assistant Baseball Coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University," said Calandra. "I'm incredibly grateful to Courtney Lovely Evans, TJ Budd, Coach Kent Bottenfield, and the entire athletics staff for this opportunity. I'm thrilled to join such a strong program and can't wait to bring my energy, experience, and passion for the game to the field. My mission is to be a positive influence in the lives of our student-athletes on and off the field while coaching and leading in a way that reflects my faith and keeps God at the center of everything I do."
Calandra is no stranger to the Sunshine State Conference as he was a four year starter with Eckerd. During his time with the Tritons, he earned SSC Freshman of the Year by batting .345 in his rookie campaign while driving in 21 runs. During his senior year, Calandra pushed the Tritons to its first conference title in over 30 years and was named first team All-SSC and region as a catcher. After his college career, he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 30th round of the 2019 MLB Draft and reached AA during his time in the Braves organization.
"I am excited beyond words to be bringing Mitch into the program. He was a highly successful player in our conference a number of years ago and quite honestly a pain in my neck for four years trying to find ways to get him out," said head coach Kent Bottenfield.
Prior to his time in college and the pros, Calandra was a five-year starter at Floral Park Memorial High School in Floral Park, New York where he grew up. He was named 1st team all-state as a junior and senior.
"Getting to know Mitch as a man I am confident the love he has for Christ along with his in-depth knowledge of the game and tireless work ethic will be a great help in taking the program to the next level," Bottenfield added. "I feel very fortunate he and his wife Nikole decided this would be the next step in their journey."
