Southern Illinois University has appointed Tony Caldwell as the new hitting coach for its baseball program. The announcement was made by head coach Lance Rhodes, who highlighted Caldwell’s experience and professional background.
“We are very excited to have Tony join the Saluki baseball family,” Rhodes said. “Tony is a tremendous person, and with him having the opportunity to play at the professional level, I am excited for him to coach and motivate our guys to possibly achieve that dream for themselves. He has won at every level he’s coached at, and we want to continue that winning mindset here at SIU.”
Caldwell comes to Southern Illinois after a season with Florida Southern College, where he contributed to a 38-15-1 record. During his time there, third baseman Rohsean Riley earned All-Sunshine State Conference honors and catcher Cory Filley was named to the All-defensive team while leading the conference in caught stealing.
Before joining Florida Southern, Caldwell served as head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Saint Leo University from 2021 to 2024. While there, he helped guide the Lions to NCAA South Region tournaments in both 2022 and 2024—milestones for the program—and assisted in three consecutive seasons of more than 30 wins. He also played a role in developing two All-Americans during his tenure.
Caldwell’s coaching career includes experience as an assistant at Kent State University prior to his time at Saint Leo. At Kent State, he helped secure the program’s first top-25 ranked recruiting class according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and contributed to a Mid-American Conference championship in 2018.
As a player, Caldwell was a standout catcher at Auburn University from 2008-2011. He earned All-SEC honors as a senior and was recognized as one of the top collegiate catchers nationally when he became a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award in 2011. He shares several records with former Auburn athletes Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas.
After college, Caldwell was drafted by the Florida Marlins in 2011 and spent seven years playing professional baseball, including three years within the Marlins organization. He began coaching while still playing professionally, starting with youth teams before moving into collegiate coaching roles.
Caldwell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Auburn University.
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