July 28, 2004

MEMPHIS, TENN. - University of Memphis baseball coach Daron Schoenrock announced today the hiring of Mike Federico and Jerry Zulli as assistant coaches on the Tiger Baseball staff.

A two-time Junior College Coach of the Year, Federico has spent the previous three years as the head coach at Meridian Community College. In 2003 and 2004, he led his squad to the JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.

"I am very excited that Mike will be joining our staff," said Schoenrock. "I was intrigued with the outstanding job that he did at Meridian, leading them to the World Series the last two years.

"Mike is a great coach of the total defensive game," added Schoenrock. "He also has a great personality for recruiting and has knowledge of Conference USA, having played and coached at Southern Miss."

This past season, Federico led the Eagles to a 46-14 finish and a ninth place finish in the JUCO World Series. Several of his players received accolades following the 2004 season, as two players were named as all-Americans, four players received All-Region 23 honors; and nine Eagles were honored to the All-State team. Federico was named the Region XXIII and Southeastern District Coach of the Year.

In 2003, he led the Eagles to a fifth place finish in the Alpine Bank JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. The Eagles also won the MACJC Central Division, Region XXIII and Southeastern Regional Championship. Federico was honored with the Region XXIII and Southeastern District Coach of the Year for his accomplishments in 2003.

Before taking over the head duties, Federico served as the assistant coach for two years where he worked with the pitchers and catchers. As an assistant, he helped lead the Eagles to two conference championships, one region and one sectional championship and a trip to the 2000 JUCO World Series.

Prior to joining the staff at Meridian, Federico served as an assistant coach at the University of Southern Mississippi for two years. In 1999, his last year with USM, he helped lead the Eagles to the NCAA Regionals.

As a player, Federico was a catcher at USM from 1995-1997, and was the team captain his senior year. He started his collegiate career at Hinds Community College in 1993-1995, where he was the starting catcher with the Eagles and helped lead his teams to back-to-back Division II World Series titles.

While at USM, Federico received his undergraduate degree in physical education in 1998, and his master's degree in sports administration in 1999.

A native of New Orleans, La., Zulli has been an assistant coach at Middle Georgia College for the last three years. While at Middle Georgia, he was the team's hitting instructor and outfield coach. He was also responsible for coordinating the Warriors' recruiting efforts. In the past two years, the Warriors signed 12 players drafted by Major League Teams.

"Jerry's youth and energy with regards to teaching the offensive part of the game is what really excited me when I was looking to put a staff together," said Schoenrock. "He has an excellent ability to evaluate talent, which led to back to back outstanding recruiting classes at Middle Georgia."

"I think that Jerry and Mike (Federico) are going to be great additions to this staff," added Schoenrock. "I really believe that the players are going to love their energy and enthusiasm for this game."

Under Coach Zulli's assistantship, the Warriors posted a 130-51 record, a 72% winning percentage. In 2004, the Warriors placed sixth in the JUCO World Series, and ended the year with a 45-17 record. The 2002 Warriors also advanced to the JUCO World Series and ranked sixth in the final National Junior College Poll.

Zulli first arrived at MGC in 1997 as a player. In 1999, Zulli helped lead the Warriors to a Region XVII Championship and a game away from an East-Central District Championship. During that year, he was a recipient of the "Terry Daniels" Award. He earned his associate degree in business management from MGC in 1999. He then transferred to the University of New Orleans, where he played under the direction of Coach Randy Bush. Zulli finished his career with the Privateers, where he received his B.S. Degree in sports management in 2002.