The Piedmont baseball teams will go into the upcoming season wearing a target on their back while upholding head coach Justin Scali’s standards after last season’s conference win.
“Knowing that we accomplished a goal that we had set out to accomplish was just really special,” said Scali.
Representing the Piedmont “P” logo on the baseball jerseys, hats and practice wear is more than just being a part of the team. Every player who puts on the “P” is representing the Lions baseball program. Scali takes pride in the standards of his team. Representing the “P” to him means, “how we behave on and off the field, how we treat opponents, the effort we make in the classroom and representing our program in everything we do.”
Scali has coached the Lions for 19 seasons, seven as head coach and 12 as an assistant coach. In 2002, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management from Methodist University in North Carolina, where he played Division III baseball. Scali’s first appearance at Piedmont was as a student, receiving his master’s of business administration in 2005. That same year, then-head Baseball Coach Jim Peeples, who coached Scali at Methodist, brought his former player to Piedmont as an assistant coach.
Scali was named head coach in 2017, and he holds a record of 158-106-1 and a .598 winning percentage. Over the years, he has accumulated many accolades, including 21 wins over top-25 opponents, being named USA South Coach of the Year in 2019, winning the USA regular season championship in 2019, and winning the 2023 Collegiate Conference of the South Tournament.
The Lions have a reputation to sustain after winning last year’s conference tournament.
“Wearing a target on our backs means we have to continue to be the best team and stick together through the ups and downs the season may bring,” said junior pitcher, Braden Simms, who started the semifinal game to get the Lions to the championship.
For Scali, team chemistry is critical to having a winning season, which is why the team begins training in the fall semester. With the help of strength and conditioning coach John Delf-Montgomery, the team has morning workouts Monday through Thursday. The Lions also have practice three to four times a week, including at least two scrimmages each week.
To get game action, Piedmont travels to the University of North Georgia for an 18-inning scrimmage against the Division II Nighthawks. During this scrimmage, a variety of players get to see the field. At the end of the fall, the Lions host a Fall World Series. The two assistant coaches draft players off the roster to make their own team. These two teams will then face each other in a three-game series. To build on the team’s chemistry, the following week after the Fall World Series, the Lions will have a team dinner for which the winning team will have its meal paid for.
Scali hopes this preparation will help ensure the Lions are among the best-prepared teams going into the 2024 season.
“I think our expectations never change,” he said, noting that while he keeps the big picture in perspective, the players need to focus on the present. “It starts with us having a good day today and trying to be a really good baseball team one day at a time.”
The Lions open the 2024 season hosting a four-team tournament on Feb. 16-18, featuring North Carolina Wesleyan, Spalding University and Chapman University.
