A native of Pittsburgh with playing and coaching experience in Alabama, Joey Noro enters his fourth season as an assistant coach with the Vulcans in 2020.
Noro mentored one of the top pitching staffs in the PSAC last year, as Cal U recorded its winningest season in program history. The Vulcans ranked fourth in the league with a 4.38 ERA, which was a staggering two-run improvement from 2018, behind a conference-best six shutouts. Cal U also paced the PSAC with 3.22 walks per nine innings and finished third with a 1.40 WHIP after sitting 10th in both categories the previous year.
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Last year, Noro helped Nick Riggle develop into an All-PSAC West selection while recording seven wins and a 2.43 ERA after the entering the year with seven career wins and a 5.39 career ERA. Additionally, Bradyn Kail earned nine victories – the second-most in school history – and logged 70.0 innings pitched in his first year as a starter.
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Noro mentored an All-PSAC West relief pitcher in each of his initial two seasons with the program. Joe Yourgal split time on the mound and behind the plate in 2017, while Corey Fogle saw time as a reserve infielder and in the bullpen the following year.
Noro spent three years as an assistant coach at Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama, following a two-year stint at Lawson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama. He also played at Calhoun for two seasons before transferring to Montevallo (Ala.), which was then a member of the Peach Belt Conference (PBC), for his last two years.
In 2016, Noro helped the Warhawks post a 20-win improvement and advance to the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Championship. Calhoun finished the year with a 35-25 overall record and was third in the ACCC North standings with a 16-12 divisional record. The Warhawks ranked fifth in the 17-team conference in strikeouts and improved their ERA by over a full run from the previous year.
Noro helped mentor pitcher Carson Jones, who signed with UAB following two standout years with the Warhawks. He was named a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Second-Team All-American in 2016 after finishing second in the ACCC with 12 wins and 92.2 innings pitched, while also ranking among the top five in the league with both a 1.75 ERA and 78 strikeouts. A former catcher, Jones posted a 2.14 ERA and issued only 43 walks in 147.0 innings pitched during two seasons at Calhoun.
Noro started his college coaching career at Lawson State, which is also a member of the ACCC, in 2011. He worked with both pitchers and outfielders during his time with the Cougars.
Over the past few summers, Noro served on the coaching staff of the Licking County Settlers in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League (GLSCL). He was the manager for the team for two years after serving as an assistant coach in 2013. Noro led the Settlers to the GLSCL Playoffs in both of his seasons as manager after winning the league championship in 2013.
The Settlers featured four GLSCL South All-Stars in 2016 and two players finished the summer ranked among the top 10 in the league in batting average. Catcher Robert Emery of San Francisco posted a .365 average to finish fourth in the league and first baseman Kyle Hubbich of North Alabama ranked second in the league with 57 hits and seventh with 36 RBI.
During the summer of 2013, Licking County won the GLSCL Championship while featuring four players that were eventually selected in the MLB Draft. The Settlers led the league with a 2.60 ERA and Ashton Perritt of Liberty, who was chosen in both the 2014 and 2015 MLB Draft, paced the GLSCL with a .356 batting average.
Noro returned to the Pittsburgh area in the summer of 2014 to serve as head coach of the 16-and-under team for the Pittsburgh Diamond Dawgs.
Following a standout scholastic career as a pitcher and third baseman at Fox Chapel, Noro was a pitcher at Calhoun from 2008-09 and earned all-region laurels. While with the Warhawks, he was a teammate of future MLB pitchers Buddy Boshers and J.J. Hoover. Boshers has made over 125 relief appearances in four seasons with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays and Hoover totaled over 280 innings with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks from 2012-17. Noro then played his last two seasons at Montevallo in the PBC and totaled over 100 innings pitched in 35 appearances.
Noro earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Montevallo in 2013.
