McCallie athletics director Jeff Romero announced today the hiring of Tim Costo as the school's new head baseball coach replacing Greg Payne who resigned last week.
Costo had served as an assistant coach under Payne the past four years, including the 2014 state championship season.
An All-American at the U. of Iowa who spent two seasons with the Chattanooga Lookouts and two years in the major leagues with the Cincinnati Reds, Costo has an extensive record with baseball at all levels.
His experience, plus his knowledge of the players at McCallie, give him the ability to build on what is already an extremely successful program. In his four seasons as hitting coach, the Blue Tornado have won a state championship in 2014 and made deep postseason runs every year.
“We feel Tim’s baseball knowledge and playing experiences are unmatched in the area,” said omero. “He is an outstanding teacher of the game and will bring out the very best in our student-athletes.”
Remaining with Costo and the Blue Tornado program will be assistant coaches Tom Adams, Chris Edge and Robert Long, giving the program stability and a proven tradition of winning.
“I’m just looking forward to picking up where we left off last year,” Costo said. “I think we’re going to be extremely competitive. We have plenty of talent in the rising seniors and juniors, and there are even more great players behind them in the underclassmen.”
“I feel privileged to be in the company of such great men and coaches and I am looking forward to working along side each one of them,” Costo said. “My plan in running the program falls right in line with McCallie’s mission and what this great school stands for and works toward. It is about the boys, and I am all in. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Assistant Headmaster Kenny Sholl said, “We are fortunate to have a staff of extraordinary baseball coaches, including two former major league players (Costo and Long).They love the game of baseball, but more importantly, they love the boys and the opportunity to coach them.”
An All-American (1989-90) and All-Big Ten (1988-90) player at Iowa, Costo was drafted in the first round (eighth overall) of the 1990 MLB draft by the Cleveland Indians.
U of Iowa HOF: He was elected into the U. of Iowa athletics hall of fame in 2007 as he had 41 career home runs and 163 RBIs and started 168 straight games for the Hawkeye.s
He played in the minor league systems of Cleveland, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Toronto for 10 seasons and appeared in 43 games in the major leagues for the Cincinnati Reds in 1992 and 1993. Costo spent parts of two seasons with the Chattanooga Lookouts, playing in 206 games from 1991-92, and he also played baseball for Team USA in 1989 and 1990.
Costo has worked for Rick Honeycutt Sportswear and Sequatchie Concrete Service in the Chattanooga area since ending his playing career, but has continued to be a part of the game as a coach and instructor. He was an assistant coach at Signal Mountain in 2012 before coming to McCallie as a hitting coach in 2013.
“With Tim and the staff and the wonderful young men in our baseball program, McCallie baseball will continue to build on its strong traditions of excellence,” Headmaster Lee Burns stated.
The 47-year-old Melrose Park, Ill. native, Costo lives in the Chattanooga area with his wife, Wendy, and his two sons, Cameron, a rising junior at McCallie, and Carter, who will be an eighth-grader on the Ridge this fall.
McCallie School is an all-boys boarding and day school founded in 1905 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with 943 students from 21 states and eight countries in grades 6-12.
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net