Alex Sambucci Joins Crocetta Baseball as Hitting Coach: Building a Top-Level Technical Staff

Alex Sambucci of Parma, author of a home run in game 1

© Lauro Bassani (PhotoBass)

Crocetta Baseball has appointed Alex Sambucci as hitting coach of all its youth teams and Farma in Serie A. The appointment of the former first baseman of Parma Clima was strongly supported by the sporting director Cristiano Ronchini, the President Ivan Ferrarini and by the Manager of the first team Gilberto Gerali and is part of the process of building a cutting-edge technical staff, which can become a point of reference for young prospects not only from the province of Parma but from the entire national panorama.

“We strongly wanted the hiring of Sambucci as hitting coach, above all because his knowledge of the serve, his experience and his charisma will be fundamental in the growth of our boys – explained Ronchini – then because together with the inclusion of Sebastiano Poma as an athletic trainer and to all our highly skilled technicians (from Cristian Tosini to Fabrizio Adorni, from Yury Montanini to Aldo Sassi, from Beppe Begani to Andrea Mazzoni and all the others), it allows us to complete a very high level staff that will help us in our project which involves the creation of the best baseball school in Italy”.

Alex Sambucci, born in Latina in 1989, made his debut in the top flight in 2009 with Parma then under the Cariparma brand, a team with which he won the tenth championship the following year. He moved to Bologna in 2015 and under the two Towers won another Italian title, before returning to Parma in 2018, where he contributed to the conquest of two European Cups in 2021 and 2022. At the end of last season, after almost 500 games with the jersey of the top Parma team, he decided to take a different path and accept Crocetta’s offers to become responsible for batting from the Under 12s to the first team: “I immediately liked the project that Gerali illustrated to me , Ronchini and Ferrarini and I accepted with enthusiasm. I will mainly deal with the batting, especially taking care of the mental aspect.”

At the same time he had carried forward the hope of continuing to play at a high level and until a few hours after signing with Crocetta he still had ongoing negotiations with Fortitudo Bologna, who in the end decided to make other choices. At that point it was natural to also make him available as a player, in case of need: “If Gibo needs me to play, I’m ready, but my priority will be to train our young players.”

The relay with Lorenzo Gradali could therefore be repeated, as happened at the time of Parma Clima: “I heard from Lollo – he said – I told him that we are waiting for him. When he wants to come back and will come back, the place will be his.” The first feedback is positive: “There is a great group here, many young people with a lot of enthusiasm. There are all the conditions to do something important”

Manager Gilberto Gerali wanted to clarify the concept: “The entry of Sambucci into the staff represents a fundamental step for the growth of the club because he will provide transversal help across the entire youth sector and also the first team, in relation to batting. He also made himself available as a player in case of need and this makes us very happy, but his mind is oriented towards personal growth at a coaching level.”

Sports director Ronchini is also on the same wavelength: “His priority must be to work as a hitting coach. He is already doing it very well and for the boys he represents added value with his experience and charisma. We want him to also teach our coaches, because our goal is to create a baseball school that represents a point of reference. To achieve this we need competent technicians like him and we will certainly make further quality additions in the future.”

2024-02-23 23:19:33
#Sambucci #hitting #coach #Baseball.it