DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine Flying Fleet Baseball team named Daniel Perez as their new pitching coach for the 2022 season on Monday. Perez joins the Fleet following three seasons as the pitching coach at Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, Florida.

"I am extremely blessed and excited to accept the position of pitching coach for the Erskine College Flying Fleet. I would like to thank every coach who has taken a chance on me and mentored me leading up to this point in my coaching career. I would also like to thank Coach Mark Crocco for believing in me and offering me this opportunity to join his staff," Coach Perez said. "It is evident that Erskine College puts an emphasis on the success of athletics, and Erskine College baseball is clearly trending in the right direction. I look forward to helping lead this group of young men to success in life, in the classroom, and on the field, as we pursue our goal of a NCAA Division-II National Championship."

In his first season at Hillsborough, the Hawks posted a 4.12 team ERA, which ranked 35th in the NJCAA.  In the shortened 2020 season, the Hawks' team ERA improved to a 4.08 while ranking 25th in NJCAA with 215 strikeouts. The 2021 Hillsborough pitching staff ranked 26th in the NJCAA in walks allowed, walking only 167 batters in 361.1 innings.

In his time at Hillsborough Community College, Perez has seen one pitcher drafted, 7 move on to play at the D1 level, 3 to the D2 level, and 3 to the NAIA level. He also saw Damien Torres earn 2019 Suncoast Conference Fireman of the Year, while Colton Gordon was named First Team All-Suncoast Conference for the 2019 season, and Ruddy Gomez was named Second Team All-Suncoast Conference for the 2021 season.

Prior to becoming the pitching coach at Hillsborough, Perez served as a volunteer assistant coach at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, GA. He has also been a Regional Scout for Prospect Wire Baseball since the summer of 2016.

Daniel earned his Master's Degree in Sport Psychology from Florida State University in May of 2018. While attending FSU, he also served as a sports information assistant for the baseball program at Florida A&M University.

Before attending FSU, Perez earned his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Georgia Southwestern State University, where he was a relief pitcher for the Hurricanes from 2013-2016.
Daniel Perez is originally from Tampa, Florida and currently resides in Due West, South Carolina.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Danny Perez to our Erskine Baseball family. Coach Perez is a great fit for our program on so many levels. His organizational skills & professionalism stood out in a major way throughout the entire interview process," Head Coach Mark Crocco said. "This will be a great asset for our pitchers to develop a dynamic pitching culture on a daily basis. He also sets a high premium on building meaningful & lasting relationships with his players. I know he will make an immediate impact on our players and the entire community at Erskine College." 

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