Anthony Campanella hired as FPC's next head baseball coach

Campanella hasn't been the head coach of a high school team since retiring from Seabreeze, a program he ran for 24 years, in 2017.

By Ray Boone
| 1:30 p.m. June 5, 2019

Former Seabreeze baseball coach and current FPC coach Anthony Campanella. File photo

FPC's Jordan Butler (left) and Anthony Campanella. Courtesy photo

Palm Coast Observer
Sports

Anthony Campanella spent 25 seasons — 24 as a head coach and one as an assistant — with Seabreeze High School’s baseball team, stepping away from his position in June 2017.

He took a year off from the sport. But while he was coaching the Orlando Scorpions travel ball team during the summer of 2018, he realized he missed it.

He wanted to return to high school baseball.

“I’m trying to bring knowledge and experience because I’ve been there before. I know what it takes.”

ANTHONY CAMPANELLA, FPC baseball coach

After spending the 2019 season as an assistant coach at Flagler Palm Coast, Campanella was recently hired to coach the Bulldogs, according to FPC Athletics Director Steve DeAugustino. He replaced Jordan Butler, who coached the Bulldogs for the past nine seasons. Butler recently resigned to take a position as the director of the Flagler Youth Center and the George Washington Carver Community Center.

“After 25 years of coaching, I need to step back, recharge my batteries,” Campanella said of his retirement from Seabreeze. “But I got that itch again. I felt rejuvenated. It was a good time for me to come back.”

Campanella spent 27 years teaching at Seabreeze after he was hired fresh after graduating from Flagler College in 1992. In that time span, he amassed a 432-235 overall record and qualified for the state tournament 18 times. He led Seabreeze to seven district championships, three state Final Fours and a runner-up finish in 2001.

FPC was the only school he would leave Seabreeze for, Campanella said. His uncle was former FPC Principal Sal Campanella.

“It’s difficult,” he said of leaving Seabreeze. “I can’t look back, but Seabreeze was my home for so many years. But I’m glad to have this new home. I’m excited about the opportunity to start something new here. FPC has always been really close to me.”

The Bulldogs went 10-16 and fell short of the state playoffs this season. Only twice did the Sandcrabs end a season with a losing record in Campanella’s tenure.

The Bulldogs return with rising junior Noah Trawick, rising senior Ashton Neuman and rising senior Aedan Celestino, among others.

Campanella — who is an energetic, passionate coach with an eye for the fundamentals — hopes to bring a winning tradition to FPC.

“I’m excited because I know we can win here,” he said. “I’m going to set some high standards and goals for our guys because I know that we can accomplish them.”