Aug. 10, 2001
ATLANTA – Former Wake Forest all-American Jon Palmieri has joined the Georgia Tech baseball staff as a volunteer coach, head coach Danny Hall announced.
Palmieri joins the Tech program after a three-year career in professional baseball in the Anaheim Angels organization. He spent the summer of 2001 as an assistant coach with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League.
“We’re very excited to have Jon Palmieri join our baseball staff,” said Hall. “He was one of the best players that I have coached against, and I’m pleased that will now be a part of our coaching staff. He is going to make an outstanding college baseball coach.”
A two-time all-America selection, Palmieri was a standout first baseman at Wake Forest from 1999-99. As a senior, he earned first-team all-America and all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after batting .412 with 18 home runs, 94 RBI and a school-record 112 hits before being selected in the 14th round by the Angels in the major league baseball draft. In 1998 he was tabbed a third-team all-America and again made the first-team All-ACC squad after batting .438 with a school-record 30 doubles.
“I’m excited by the opportunity to join coach Hall and his staff at Georgia Tech,” said Palmieri. “Having played in the ACC, I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Georgia Tech program and I am looking forward to continuing my coaching career in Atlanta.”
One of the top hitters in ACC history, Palmieri finished his career with the second highest batting average in ACC history (.395) at that time while becoming just the fifth player in ACC history to collect at least 300 hits, 200 runs and 200 RBI in his career. With 112 hits in both 1998 and 1999, he became the just the second ACC player to record back-to-back seasons of 100 hits or more. Palmieri currently holds the ACC record with 82 career doubles, while also ranking among the conference’s all-time top-five in hits (338) and RBI (241). Palmieri still holds Wake Forest career records for doubles, hits, RBI and runs scored (230).
