| Title: | Assistant Coach (4th Year) |
Anthony Granato (4th Year)
Anthony Granato returns for his fourth season as hitting coach for the Trojans. Coach Granato is instrumental on both sides of the ball, working with the hitters and infielders. Well respected throughout the baseball community, Anthony brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his amazing playing and coaching career.
In his time with the Trojans, Coach Granato has helped consistently improve the offense each season with the club, reaching exceptional heights in their 2022 Conference Championship season. 2022 saw the Trojans hit .314 as a club, with 42 home runs, 347 runs scored, 325 runs batted in, and 88 stolen bases. Individuals also benefited from Coach Granato’s guidance, as seven Trojans took home all-league honors- Jeremy Keller (1st Team All-Conference Catcher), Jace Jeremiah (1st Team All-Conference Infielder), Dominic Meza (1st Team All-Conference Infielder), Trey Zahursky (2nd Team All-Conference Infielder), Jesse Pierce (1st Team All-Conference Outfielder), Max Coupe (1st Team All-Conference Outfielder), Michael Sarhatt (1st Team All-Conference Utility).
The founder of GamePrep Baseball Academy, Coach Granato has helped groom some of the top baseball players to come from the Bay Area. With the goal of providing an academy unlike anyone else, GamePrep has become an unparalleled, nationally recognized baseball academy. The academy has helped prepare, develop and move on such players as Jared Mettam (St. Mary’s College), Kyle Pruhsmeier (Fresno State University), Thomas McCarthy (University of San Francisco), Nick Lopez (Stanford University), Nate Fleischli (Stanford University), Drew Dowd (Stanford University), and many others.
Since 2017, Coach Granato has also served as an Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball organization. With the Braves, Anthony is responsible for the greater Bay Area and much of Northern California. Additionally, Coach Granato serves as the National Infield Coordinator for the Program15 powered by New Balance.
Prior to joining the Trojans, Anthony served as the Head Coach for Sacred Heart Preparatory high school for five seasons. Joining the Gators paid immediate dividends, as Sacred Heart Preparatory won their first ever CCS title in Coach Granato’s first season at the helm. Along with team success, Coach Granato has helped individual athletes succeed and receive scholarships to the next level. During his five season Coach Granato has moved on such athletes as Yianni Gardner (Oberlin College), Angelo Tonas (Georgetown University), Dominic Cacchione (Arizona State University), and Andrew Daschbach (Stanford University).
Graduating in 1999 from Burlingame High School, Anthony was a three sport (baseball, basketball, football) star throughout his high school career. Setting multiple records in multiple sports, Anthony was highly recruited to play both baseball and football collegiately. Deciding on baseball, Anthony began his collegiate career at Skyline College, playing two unbelievable seasons for the Trojans.
In two seasons at Skyline College, Anthony proved to be the best player to ever play in a Trojan uniform. Hitting over .500 in his two years, Coach Granato additionally led the Trojans in almost every offensive category in both his years at Skyline College will earning All-American honors during his sophomore season. The success at Skyline College earned Anthony a scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). While at VCU Anthony was equally amazing. In his two seasons at VCU, Anthony hit .319 with 10 homeruns, 10 triples, 27 doubles, while stealing 66 bases and only getting caught 7 times. Specifically, Anthony stole 44 bases his senior season, which is two shy of a school record.
Following his amazing collegiate career, Coach Granato played professionally for 10 years. During his professional career, Coach Granato spent time with the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, multiple Independent Baseball organizations, and international professional organizations. Highlighting his professional career, Coach Granato was the starting shortstop for the Italian National Team that competed in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.
Coach Granato earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, Anthony is a certified Crossfit trainer. A proud dad, Anthony also has a five year old son named Dempsey.
