Saladino named new head coach at Armwood

Noah Saladino, the youngest grandson of Saladino Tournament founders Bertha and Tony Saladino, said he has been hired as the new head coach at Armwood High. Saladino, a 2020 Durant graduate, is a former assistant coach at Armwood and Bloomingdale. 

By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

SEFFNER – High school baseball runs deep in the Saladino Family. So, it’s no surprise that the seed was planted early in the youngest grandson of Bertha and Tony Saladino – founders of the annual Saladino Baseball Tournament each spring.

Noah Saladino said for almost as long as he could remember he wanted to be a high school head coach. The aspiration is soon to be realized as Saladino said he has been named the new head coach at Armwood High, replacing Shawn Queen who stepped down at the end of the 2025 after two seasons.

“I’ve wanted this since I was 10- or 11-years-old, I’ve always wanted to be a high school head coach,” Saladino said. “Now I have my foot in the door and I can’t wait to get started rebuilding this program in year one.”

Noah Saladino scoring a run for Bloomingdale during the 2019 season.

Saladino, 23, was an assistant coach at Armwood before spending three-plus years as a varsity and JV assistant at Bloomingdale. He played high school baseball at Brandon, Bloomingdale and Durant – where he graduated in 2020.

Armwood went 8-16 this spring in the second season under Queen. Saladino will be the fourth coach for the Hawks in five seasons and said he hopes to provide consistency for new and returning players, and build Armwood’s program to where it was in the early 200s.

“I’m a little nervous to see what we have (come this fall) because this is the players third coach in four years,” he said. “There are probably some players who may be a little unsure about returning to the program, but want them to know I’m excited about this job and hope to build something special at Armwood.”

Armwood last made a region quarterfinal appearance (as a district runner-up) in 2016, but did have winning seasons in both 2023 and 2024. The Hawks were the Class 5A state semifinalist in 2009 and the state runner-up in 2010.

“It’s going to take time, but I’m ready to work hard with these players,” Saladino said. “We’re going to be consistent with what we do every day, and I’m going to try and create an atmosphere that takes (the Hawks) from a team to a family that will last at Armwood for years to come.”

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