TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama head baseball coach Rob Vaughn officially announced the hiring of Anthony Papio on Friday morning. Papio joins the Crimson Tide staff after spending the last seven seasons at Maryland working in various roles, including the last two as an assistant coach.
“I’m fired up to welcome Anthony to Tuscaloosa,” said Vaughn. “Pap played for me at Maryland and has coached beside me the last seven years. He’s the most competitive guy that I’ve ever met. He’s a winner and he loves his players. I could not be more excited to have him and his fiancé, Ally, join us down here at Alabama.”
As an assistant on the Tide coaching staff, Papio will work with hitters and the offense as a whole while also assisting with recruiting efforts. He comes to Tuscaloosa after spending the last seven seasons serving in three different roles at Maryland. Papio began his coaching career as a student assistant coach for the Terps in 2017 before being elevated to volunteer assistant from 2017-21. He most recently served as an assistant for the 2022-23 seasons.
In all three roles at Maryland, Papio worked with the outfielders and coordinated the running game while also assisting with hitters. Additionally, he coached first base for the Terps and compiled scouting reports. A total of 15 Terps were drafted during his tenure while 10 players earned All-America accolades and 25 were selected to All-Big Ten teams.
Papio helped Maryland see significant success during his time on the coaching staff, as the Terps compiled a 183-117 record and NCAA Tournament berths in 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023. A former outfielder at Maryland from 2012-16, Papio was involved in over 350 wins between his playing and coaching career, the most successful stretch in program history.
Under his guidance in 2023, Maryland finished as both regular season and tournament champions in the Big Ten while earning a spot in an NCAA Regional for a third consecutive season. His efforts with the hitters helped the Terps lead the Big Ten in nearly every major offensive statistic including average, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, runs and walks along with on-base and slugging percentage.
A big reason for the 2023 team’s offensive success were All-Americans Nick Lorusso, Matt Shaw and Luke Shliger. Lorusso led the conference with 105 RBI and 26 home runs while slugging .765, a total that was second in the Big Ten. Shaw, who was named the 2023 Big Ten Player of the Year, ranked second behind Lorusso in homers (24) while also finishing second in the league for runs (80) and tying for third in RBI (69). Shliger rounded out the group, pacing the conference in doubles (24), runs (93), walks (69) and on-base percentage (.523) in 2023.
The trio moved atop the Maryland career leaderboards in three separate categories by season’s end. Lorusso set the program mark for RBI, while Shaw finished as the Terps’ career home run king and Shliger the career leader in runs scored.
Papio’s first season as a full-time assistant saw the Terps compile a program-best 48-14 record, earning UM the No. 15 national seed and the right to host an NCAA Regional – both firsts for Maryland baseball. The 2022 offense led the conference in home runs, RBI, runs and walks to go with slugging and on-base percentage.
That 2022 campaign saw Chris Alleyne develop into the Big Ten Player of the Year under Papio’s direction. Alleyne hit a school-record 24 home runs and added 79 RBI on the way to earning first team All-America honors. He was one of three All-America selections and 10 All-Big Ten honorees for Maryland in that season.
Papio’s time in College Park began as a student-athlete from 2012-16, where he finished as the winningest player in Maryland baseball history. He helped the Terps compile 174 victories over five seasons while also playing in the most games in school history at 230. The first ‘captain’ during Vaughn’s tenure at Maryland, Papio wore the number ‘3’ from 2015-16. The number is assigned by Vaughn to the player that best represents the three pillars of his program.
A versatile outfielder, Papio split time in between center and right field in 2016, making 50 starts overall. He batted .261 with eight doubles, four homers and a team-best four triples while also serving as the team captain. His 2015 season featured 66 starts across Maryland’s run to a second consecutive NCAA Super Regional. He starred during the postseason that year, earning a spot on the NCAA Los Angeles Regional All-Tournament Team thanks to his clutch hitting and superb defense.
As a sophomore, he started 43 games and helped the Terps advance to their first NCAA Regional since 1971. Papio redshirted his first year in College Park before appearing in 47 games with 39 starts as a freshman. He was also a contributor off the field during his career, earning Big Ten All-Academic honors twice and being named Maryland’s ‘Outstanding Sportsmanship Award’ winner for the Big Ten.
A native of Olney, Md., Papio graduated with a degree in criminology and criminal justice in 2015 from Maryland. He is currently engaged to Ally Krikorian and is set to be married in October 2023.
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