BALTIMORE – Coppin State head baseball coach
Sherman Reed announced the return of
Jovanny Zarzabal to the Eagles coaching staff, where he will serve as an assistant coach. Zarzabal returns to Coppin State after previously spending four seasons with the program from 2020-23.
During Zarzabal's first stint with the Eagles, he served as a hitting coach while also working with the team's catchers. His time in Baltimore included a pair of 20-win seasons and the program's historic 2022 campaign, when Coppin State captured the MEAC Tournament Title and advanced to its first NCAA Regional.
Statistically, Coppin was one of the top hitting teams in the Nation, hitting .279 throughout his tenure and ranking 12
th in on-base percentage and in the Top 50 in batting average (.288) in 2021. The following season, the Eagles ranked sixth in triples and 34
th on-base percentage while hitting .282. With his guidance, CSU set single-season records for runs, runs batted in, triples and walks while his catcher's helped the pitching staff strike out a record 429 batters in 2022 behind MEAC Pitcher of the Year and John Olerud Award finalist
Jordan Hamberg.
"We are excited to welcome Jovanny back to Coppin State," said Reed. "He brings a tremendous amount of knowledge, passion and experience to our program, and his familiarity with our players, culture and expectations will be invaluable."
During his time away from Coppin, Zarzabal served as a hitting instructor at R&D Baseball Academy in Northern Virginia, having the opportunity to work with multiple MBD Draft picks. He also was an Associate Head Coach for the Covington Lumberjacks of the Valley Baseball League where the team led the league in stolen bases.
Prior to his first stint at Coppin, Zarzabal served as a student manager with the Towson University softball program. In that role, he assisted in preparing pitchers for competition by reviewing scouting reports and analyzing pitching sequences with the pitching staff.
Zarzabal began his coaching career at Homestead Senior High School, serving as the varsity pitching coach during the 2018 season. During his time with the program, he helped three of his pitchers advance to play baseball at the collegiate level.
A native of Homestead, Florida, Zarzabal earned his bachelor's degree in Broadcasting from Florida Memorial University in 2018. He played three seasons for the Lions, serving primarily as a relief pitcher during his collegiate career.
Zarzabal attended Somerset Academy South Homestead before playing baseball at Homestead Senior High School. Baseball has remained a significant part of his family and community ties, with his parents, Debbie and Luis, operating a local nonprofit baseball organization for the past 20 years.
The middle child of five siblings, Zarzabal has two older sisters, Bethany and Nicolette, and two younger siblings, Emmanuel and Esmeralda. Emmanuel also played baseball collegiately at SUNY Sullivan in New York and assisted with Coppin's softball program.
