BRONXVILLE, NY– To most people, it looks like just another baseball field. But to the Zoccolillo family, it feels like home.
 
Long before the diamond and dugouts became part of Iona University's Bronxville campus, the baseball field along White Plains Road was the backdrop of countless family memories. Al Zoccolillo - affectionately known as Coach Z - spent seven seasons building Concordia College's baseball program there. His sons, Alan and Peter, were never far behind.
 
This was where two young boys grew up chasing fly balls. Where players became family. And where baseball became more than just a game, it became a way of life.
 
Now, the soon-to-be renovated home field of Iona Baseball will be named in honor of Al Zoccolillo, the record-setting head coach who led the Gaels for 18 seasons. Reflecting on the recognition during an interview on the pitcher's mound - his sons by his side - the legendary coach was nearly rendered speechless.
 
"To have where you really started your college career and then to come back and have a ballpark named after you - I mean, how do you do better than that?" he said.
 
For the brothers, the dedication of Al Zoccolillo Park is a full-circle moment.
 
"We grew up here," Alan F. Zoccolillo Jr. said. "To be part of bringing it back and doing it in a way that honors our father, it just ties everything together."
 
"It was pretty special to come back here and see basically our childhood on this field," Peter Zoccolillo said. "I'm just so proud of my dad, and I think this is so well deserved. We reached out to some of the former players - you have guys who won World Series championships and guys who played in the Big Leagues for a while - and just to have them reflect back on how he affected their careers is really special."
 

A STORIED CAREER

For decades, baseball was woven into nearly every aspect of the Zoccolillo household. Al, a New Rochelle native who now lives in White Plains, built a coaching career that stretched from Yonkers High School to Concordia College and ultimately to Iona College, where he became the winningest coach in program history. The brothers also remember their mother, Terry, playing a big role, creating media guides by hand at their dining room table and selling ads to fundraise for teams' spring trips.
 
But long before the championship titles and Hall of Fame inductions, there was simply a young boy who loved the game.
 
"As a kid growing up, I had a love for the game and it never died," Al said.
 
That passion became the foundation of a remarkable coaching career.
 
At Yonkers High School, Al led his teams to three Section 1 championships, four league titles and two state regional championships while compiling a 90-37 record.
 
At Concordia, he inherited a struggling program and turned it around to leave with a 160-72 record. Over seven seasons, his teams recorded seven consecutive 20-win seasons, captured three Knickerbocker Championships and were nationally ranked in Division II during the 1987 season. Along the way, he helped develop future Major League players Willie Fraser, John Doherty and World Series champion Scott Leius.
 
When Iona came calling in 1987, it was the opportunity he had always dreamed of.
 
"I always wanted the Iona job. I had my eye on that field as a high school kid going there to watch games," Al recalled. "When I got that job, I wasn't going anywhere else."
 
Over the next 18 seasons, he built one of the most successful eras in Iona Baseball history. His 378 overall wins and 206 MAAC wins both remain school records across all sports. His teams reached a record-setting eight consecutive postseason appearances, including a single season record of 31 wins in 1990. At Iona, he inspired future Major Leaguers Mike Bertotti and World Series champion Jason Motte.
 
"We are incredibly excited and grateful to celebrate the naming of Al Zoccolillo Park. The field will not only provide a real home for our team, it will also connect the past to the present and aid our ability to develop, recruit and retain quality student-athletes," said Conor Burke, head coach of Iona Baseball. "I can't wait for our players to experience the best home environment in the Metro Conference, and every time we step out on the field and see the Zoccolillo name, we will proudly share in the legacy of the winningest baseball coach in Iona history."
 

MAJOR LEAGUE MEMORIES

Although the years have passed, the close-knit bonds formed through baseball have not. The Zoccolillo family still keeps in touch with many former players, and if you ask what they remember most about their days together on the field, the conversation rarely starts with the wins.
 
Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jason Motte, who helped the team win the 2011 World Series by pitching a perfect Game 7 ninth inning, said he was grateful for the opportunities Coach Z gave him. "Coach Z was more than just a baseball coach to me and so many others. Yes, he taught us how to handle our business on the baseball field, but those lessons often carried over into life off the field as well... He helped shape me into the baseball player I became, but more importantly, the man I am today."
 
Former Detroit Tigers pitcher John Doherty remembered a coach who relentlessly advocated for his players, saying: "Coach Z set a high standard for his teams and got the most out of his players. He went above and beyond to make sure his players got a chance at the next level."
 
Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Willie Fraser credits Coach Z with helping to fuel his dreams of playing professional ball, saying he was glad to hear the field they all played on will be named in his honor. "Coach Z was instrumental in my growth, on and off the field... He created a culture of winning baseball, year after year. This environment helped push me to be better every day. Many things I learned while pitching at Concordia, I used while reaching my goal of playing in the Major Leagues and the driving force behind it all was Coach Z."
 
Former Minnesota Twins player Scott Leius, who hit a game-winning home run during the team's 1991 World Series championship, said: "Coach Z built a solid program and I was honored to be a small part of it. Thank you to Coach Z for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to continue to play the game I loved."
 

BEYOND BASEBALL

It's clear the lessons Al taught on the field extended well beyond baseball, and they inspired both his players and his sons to achieve at the highest levels.
 
"Baseball is full of failure," said Alan, who earned a baseball scholarship to Wake Forest University and built a successful career as a lawyer in New York City. "You have to learn to embrace that failure. It makes you better, it drives you to work harder. And the people who can deal with that often succeed both on the field and off the field."
 
"My dad always had his players play hard because they didn't want to let him down," said Peter, who earned a baseball scholarship to Rutgers University, played in the Major Leagues and now operates a baseball training facility in New Jersey. "They respected him. He cared about them. And that's why they played so hard for him."
 
For the Zoccolillos, the naming of Iona's baseball field is both a return and a renewal - giving players something Iona Baseball has long deserved.
 
"Once they're here, they'll feel like they have a home," Al said.

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