University of Charleston Athletics

Anthony Zona enters his third season as a member of the Golden Eagles Baseball staff during the 2021 season. Before the remainder of the 2020 season was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Zona helped lead the Golden Eagles got off to a 9-5 start while the team produced five top-25 victories. In just 14 games, the Charleston tallied victories against 6^th ranked Ashland as well as 15^th ranked Wingate. The win over Wingate was a first in the history of the program. 

In 2020, the Golden Eagles Pitching Staff ranked 3^rd nationally in Walks-Hits-per Innings Pitched (WHIP), while ranking top-25 in ERA. 

In Zona's first year in 2019, the Golden Eagles pitching staff soared to an NCAA Regional appearance after posting a 40-17 record which included an MEC Championship and an East Regional Championship. The Golden Eagles postseason run was driven by performances on the mound by Austin Henrich, who holds the school record for wins (22+), Jack Brunetti who posted a 10-1 record on the year, Jacob Kaiser, who posted a 9-4 record, and veteran arm Brandon Harris who helped secure an MEC Championship with a 9-inning outing against Notre Dame College.
 
Zona was elevated to a full-time assistant coach in the spring of 2020 after serving as a Graduate Assistant in 2018-2019 season. Prior to coaching at UCWV, Zona pitched for his alma mater between 2016-2018, after arriving from his playing career at Patrick Henry Community College. Zona graduated from the University of Charleston with a bachelor's degree in Communications in the spring of 2018, and a master's degree in Strategic Leadership in the Fall of 2019. 
 
In his playing career he was a part of one MEC championship (2018), one MEC runner up (2017), and was a part of two Region X playoff runs from his time at PHCC (2015-2016). In his 4-year career, Zona was a part of over 153 program wins, pitched over 202 college innings, struck out over 130 batters, walked 43, and had 15 wins. In Zona's senior regular season campaign, he was Top 45 in all D-II Baseball in ERA posting a 2.44. 
 
Zona is a Richmond, Virginia native who has comes from a baseball rich family. His father Jeffery Zona Sr. pitched collegiately at Virginia Commonwealth University, then followed up with a few years of minor league baseball with the Atlanta Braves & Boston Red Sox, before eventually starting a 30+ year scouting career. Jeff is currently a Special Assistant to the GM and Director of Pitcher Evaluations for the Washington Nationals. Zona has two brother's, one older (Jeff Jr.) who is currently a scout in the Mid-Atlantic Region for the Philadelphia Phillies, and a younger brother Nicholas who is currently playing collegiately at James Madison University. Nick was a draft pick out of High School by the New York Mets. 
 
His mother Aimee was a standout Tennis Player at Virginia Commonwealth University and is inducted into her High School Hall of Fame.