PEABODY — After serving as an anchor in the middle of the infield at shortstop for the Peabody baseball team, senior Jordan Anzuoni will continue his career on the diamond at Salem State University.
For Anzuoni, who looked at several options, staying close to home and committing to Salem was an easy choice.
“I can get an education there and play baseball for a good program,” Anzuoni said. “I looked at places like Roger Williams, Worcester State, St. Joseph’s in Maine and Salve Regina. I like Salem because it’s local and I’ll be close to my family. It’s really nice and the campus isn’t too big. I’m not a big fan of too much change so it was good for me.”
Vikings coach Al Donovan, who has had the program trending upwards in recent years, also left a good impression on Anzuoni during his visits.
“He’s got a great coaching style,” Anzuoni said of Donovan. “When I first met him, it was a great time. He told me everything I needed to know as far as the program and how they do things. We took a drive around the campus area and to the baseball field to look around. He’s a really great guy.”
Anzuoni brings plenty of tools to Salem’s lineup, including consistency he showed at the plate during his time in the leadoff spot for the Tanners.
“Jordan is a great leadoff hitter,” Tanners coach Mark Bettencourt said. “He wasn’t going to hit 20 home runs but he was a high .400 hitter that stole 20 to 25 bases. He can bunt for a hit and do all the little things. I think he’s going to be a good fit at Salem. Coach Donovan is going to be surprised with the skill set he has.”
But most impressively, says Bettencourt, was Anzuoni’s strong arm at shortstop.
“Jordan’s work ethic is excellent,” Bettencourt said. “He’s an undersized kid like Jake Gustin (a 2018 Peabody grad who currently plays at Bryant) and his arm strength is what sets him apart. His arm strength is through the roof.”
“Jordan just has that naturally live arm,” Bettencourt said. “A lot of times he would make plays in the whole where you’d say don’t bother throwing and then he’d throw a cannon to first for the out.”
That raw talent coupled with a growing maturity over the years earned Anzuoni a slot as captain for the Tanners.
“It felt good to be named a captain,” Anzuoni said. “It felt like all your work paid off. My first year I was on the freshman team and went back and forth to varsity. The year I really got my leadership skills up. It was a learning curve.”
Unfortunately, Anzuoni never got to finish his time in that role his senior year after the spring season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was disappointing to see all the work go to nothing,” Anzuoni said. “Being a captain, you want to see your teammates succeed. But I have a lot of respect for coach (Bettencourt) and Rob Young for dealing with us making the best team we could be. Coach Young put in a lot of time, two hours a day at practice, and I really appreciate that.”
For the Tanners coaching staff, the biggest regret is having not developed Anzuoni on the mound enough to make him a starting pitcher before his senior year.
“We were pleasantly surprised to see his arm translate to the mound,” Bettencourt said. “And he always played around with a curveball and that turned out very good. We let him play with those two pitches until the end of his junior year. One of the more depressing things is we didn’t get that chance to make him a starter. For me as a coach it’s a hole in his career that we didn’t identify him early enough as a pitcher.”
Anzuoni may still get the chance to work on the mound at times for the Vikings, but more importantly he wants to enjoy his time at Salem State.
“I just want to grow up as a person during my time there and make the most of it,” Anzuoni said. “As a player I want to grow my respect for the game and hopefully find success.”