Nick Ammirati enters his fifth season as an assistant coach in 2021. Ammirati serves as the recruiting coordinator for the baseball program, and the Sports Information Director for the college.
Ammirati took on some new coaching duties in 2020 as he was be responsible for the hitters, infielders, and coaching third base.
In his first season at the helm of the offense, the Eagles hitters thrived. Ammirati's hitters recorded a stellar .340 batting average, good for 6th in the nation according to the NJCAA, and a .553 slugging percentage, also good for 6th in the nation.
In his first three seasons, he served as the Eagles pitching/catching coach. Ammirati led the Eagles pitching staff to back-to-back Regional appearances in 2017 & 2018, including a Region 23 Championship (2017) and a College World Series appearance (2017).
All three of Ammirati’s pitching staffs have finished nationally ranked in earned run average (ERA). In 2017, his staff finished sixth in the nation with a 3.43 ERA, which is currently the lowest team ERA in Hinds baseball history. In 2018, his staff finished seventh in the nation with a 3.67 ERA while in 2019, the Eagles finished 20th with a 4.22 ERA.
Since Ammirati’s arrival in 2017, 51 players have moved on to continue their baseball careers at the next level including 34 NCAA Division I signees. Of those 51 players that have moved on, 31 of them pitched and six were catchers who worked directly under the tutelage of Ammirati.
Prior to Hinds, Ammirati served as an assistant coach and camp coordinator at Northwestern State University (NSU) under current Louisiana Tech Head Coach Lane Burroughs. During his two years at Northwestern State University, the Demon baseball team had back to back 30+ win seasons. Six players that Ammirati coached at NSU have been drafted in the MLB First- Year Player Draft.
Prior to coaching, Ammirati was the starting catcher for the 2013 Mississippi State Bulldogs, where he help guide the pitching staff to a 2.79 ERA and the finals of the College World Series.
During his two-year career in Starkville, Ammirati was the battery mate of 12 pitchers who eventually signed contracts to play professional baseball. Six of those pitchers have already reached the Major League level. Ammirati was also a member of the 2012 SEC tournament championship Bulldogs and was named SEC Player of the Week on April 23, 2013.
Following his career at Mississippi State University, Ammirati played for the Saint Paul Saints of the American Association Independent League and went on to sign a free-agent contract with the Seattle Mariners organization.
Ammirati has learned from some of the top coaches in college baseball. He is no stranger to Junior College baseball having played for Head Coach Todd Shelton at Panola College in Carthage, Texas before starting his career at Mississippi State under Head Coach John Cohen. While at MSU Ammirati also played under current Kentucky Head Coach Nick Mingione, current Auburn Head Coach Butch Thompson, current Louisiana Tech Head Coach Lane Burroughs, and current University of Louisiana-Lafayette Assistant Coach Jake Wells.
Ammirati attended high school at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, N.J., where he was the starting catcher on the 2007 state and national championship team that finished 33-1. While there, Ammirati was the battery-mate of another first-round pick and current Boston Red Sox starting pitcher, Rick Porcello, who was named the 2016 American League Cy Young winner. Ammirati was drafted out of High School in 2009 in the 46th round by the Miami Marlins.
Ammirati was a two-time SEC academic honor roll selection and received his Bachelor’s in Public Relations from MSU and his Master’s in Health and Human Performance at NSU.
Ammirati resides in Raymond with his wife Caroline.
