Entering his 21st season as head coach at the University of South Florida, Eddie Cardieri has skippered the Bulls in 1,219 of the 2,070 baseball games the team has played since the sport was instituted in 1966. With three additional seasons on the staff as an assistant, Cardieri has been involved in 1,402 USF games, 23 of 40 USF seasons and nine of the team's 10 NCAA appearances, including eight as the head coach.
Cardieri, who was Major League Hall of Famer Robin Roberts' top assistant three seasons before assuming control in 1986, surpassed the 500-victory plateau at USF in 1999 and led the program to its 1,000th win to highlight the 2000 campaign. In 2001, the Bulls returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four seasons. The Bulls made their ninth postseason trip under Cardieri in 2002. Cardieri recorded his 700th victory as the Bulls’ skipper on April 27, 2005. He is 708-511 following 20 seasons as the head coach after the Bulls fashioned a 98-85 mark in his three seasons as an assistant.
His career record as a head coach, which includes a 63-33 ledger in two seasons at Saint Leo College (now University) in 1981 and 1982, is 771-544 (Ranked 34th in career victories among active coaches). Cardieri reached the 750-win mark on March 13, 2005. His head coaching career has spanned 1,313 games, his complete career includes 1,496 games.
While the numbers indicate longevity in the coaching ranks (the 2006 season will be his 28th of coaching since joining current UCF coach Jay Bergman's staff at the University of Florida as a graduate assistant), they also indicate a great deal of success in the competitive and tradition-rich college baseball environment of Florida.
In fact, a look at the Cardieri seasons at USF shows that he's put together his record against college baseball's heavyweights.
In an era when the rule of thumb says 40 wins will secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament and programs schedule accordingly, Cardieri uses a different approach - one that has proved rewarding.
