Tech Stingers add three new coaches for 2021 season
The Florence-Darlington Technical College Stingers have added a new pitching coach, infield and base running coach and an outfield and strength coach prior to the start of the 2021 baseball season. Rocky Mauriello will serve as the team’s new Pitching Coach. Mauriello is from Atlanta. He played for Maryville College in Tennessee and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. While at Maryville, Mauriello was voted Team Captain. He was also a three-time Ken Stinnett Award recipient and a J.D. Davis Award nominee for his leadership. While in college, he began his coaching career in the travel ball circuit coaching the East Cobb Patriots, an academic travel team out of Marrietta, Ga. After two years of being an assistant/pitching coach for the 17U team, Mauriello served as head coach for the next two years of the 16U team. While with the Patriots Rocky has seen more than 45 players go on to play college baseball. After graduating from Maryville College, Mauriello married his wife Katie in May 2019. He then went on to take on the role of pitching coach at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois. He pursued a Masters of Christian Ministry while at the university. As the pitching coach, Mauriello managed the throwing programs, daily practice plans and lifting programs for a 23-man pitching staff. In a shortened COVID season, ONU pitchers finished top-four in conference in innings pitched (1st), ERA (4th), hits (1st), walks (2nd), and Opp BA (3rd). In 2020, Coach Mauriello received certifications for Rapsodo, Driveline Pitch Design, and Driveline Foundations of Pitching. In 2020, Mauriello was hired to be the pitching coach of the Alton River Dragons, an inaugural summer collegiate team in the Prospect League. Tavy Smalls will serve at the Tech Stingers’ Infield and Base Running Coach. Smalls is a 1996 graduate of Holly Hill-Roberts High School, which is currently Lake Marion High School. He was a five-year high school starter and a three-time All-Conference Performer. Smalls graduated from The Citadel in 2000. While playing for the Bulldogs, Smalls was a three-year starter, and a two-time All-Conference Performer. Smalls was a member of back-to-back Conference Championship winning teams, participating in NCAA regional competitions at Florida State University and Clemson University. Smalls was an assistant coach for the North Charleston Dixie Majors Baseball Team for several years. He has also been a member of the coaching staff with the Columbia Blowfish as well as the Florence Post One Legion Baseball Team. Zach Bennett enters his first season as a part-time assistant for the Tech Stingers. He joins FDTC after spending the past three years as an assistant at Kings High School in Kings Mills, Ohio. During his time at Kings, the Knights had a combined record of 45-14. The team secured the conference championship in 2019. Bennett spent a year playing at Maryville College in 2015. After ending his playing career, he transferred to University of Cincinnati to study Sports Administration. Bennett currently resides in Florence.