Missouri baseball adds Jerry Zulli to staff

Missouri announced Thursday that former South Alabama assistant coach Jerry Zulli will join the baseball staff.

Zulli will serve as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Tim Jamieson.

“I’m extremely excited to join the Mizzou baseball program,” Zulli said in a statement from MU athletics. “Having an opportunity to join Coach Jamieson’s staff is the opportunity of a lifetime for me. I can’t wait to do my part of helping our student athletes achieve success in the classroom and on the field.”

Using players Zulli that was instrumental in recruiting, the Jaguars won Sun Belt Conference titles in 2013 and 2015. He hopes to help the Tigers attain similar success in the SEC.

“The University of Missouri and the entire Mizzou family is one of the most respected nationally and there is not a better time to be at Mizzou than right now,” Zulli said. “I also want to express my gratitude to South Alabama head coach Mark Calvi for giving me the chance to work at South Alabama and enhance my career.”

Zulli, who also has served as a hitting coach, helped construct a top-50 recruiting class in three of his four seasons at South Alabama and has strong ties throughout the Southeast.

“Jerry is a tireless worker and is someone that I think embodies what we take pride in here at Mizzou,” Jamieson said. “When I began to look to fill this position, I leaned on people in the business that I trust and Jerry’s name kept coming up as someone who had a tremendous work ethic and had established so many relationships throughout the southeast in the SEC footprint.

“He has helped improve programs everywhere he’s been and that is a true testament to his character. He brings great energy and enthusiasm every day and is a man with great family values. We place a great emphasis on player development here at Mizzou, and on top of being a great recruiter, he is a great coach and someone I feel confident will be able to mentor our student-athletes.”

Before South Alabama, Zulli spent seven seasons at Memphis and also coached in the junior-college ranks at Middle Georgia College.

Zulli, like Jamieson, is a graduate of the University of New Orleans. He and his wife, Kristen, have a daughter, Zoe.

This story was originally published June 25, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Missouri baseball adds Jerry Zulli to staff."