Mizzou Mourns the Passing of Pitching Coach Brian DeLunas
Brian DeLunas was announced as the Tigers' pitching coach in June 2021. Coach DeLunas passed away in January 2022 after an extended battle with kidney disease.
A renowned pitching mind and MLB-coaching veteran, DeLunas was in his second stint as part of the Mizzou baseball staff. He previously served as a volunteer assistant and pitching coach for the 2007-09 seasons.
During his previous tenure at Mizzou, DeLunas helped the Tigers to three-straight NCAA regional appearances and mentored some of the Tigers’ most successful pitchers in program history including MLB first-round picks Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson. Both Crow and Gibson earned All-America honors under the DeLunas' leadership. Five Mizzou pitchers who learned under DeLunas' guidance were drafted with Rick Zagone, Tyler Clark and Nick Tepesch joining Crow and Gibson.
In his three seasons working with the Mizzou pitching staff, the Tigers posted 116 wins while racking up over 400 strikeouts each year. The 2008 and 2009 pitching staffs produced top five single-season marks with 495 and 492 strikeouts, respectively. DeLunas helped Crow garner Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors in 2008 and produced three first-team All-Big 12 pitchers in his three seasons.
DeLunas has spent the 2021 season as a special projects coordinator in the New York Mets organization where he worked extensively in pitching development. He spent the previous three seasons with the Seattle Mariners as the bullpen coach and director of pitching development and strategies. During his tenure with the Mariners, DeLunas helped guide star closer Edwin Diaz to his 57-save season in 2018.
A Missouri native, DeLunas is a co-founder of Premier Pitching and Performance in the St. Louis area. Known for his analytical approach and biomechanics focus in pitching, DeLunas helped groom some of baseball’s top prospects, including former Mizzou star and first-round pick Tanner Houck. He has also worked extensively with MLB pitchers, including Jake Odorizzi, David Phelps and Mitch Keller.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Seattle Mariners manager, Scott Servais
“Brian has an in-depth understanding of pitching biomechanics that will surely benefit developing pitchers. He can combine advanced metrics related to pitching and take it to the field to improve young men at the University of Missouri.”
Former Mizzou pitcher and current Texas Ranger, Kyle Gibson
“Coach DeLunas is one of the brightest pitching minds in all of baseball. He has experience developing pitchers at all levels of the game and his track record is off the charts. My three years with him and our staff at Mizzou had a huge impact on my career and where I am today. Coach B has just hired a man who on and off the field is a quality human being, and he is the perfect guy to be leading this pitching staff in the years ahead! Go Tigers!”
Former Mizzou Baseball head coach, Tim Jamieson
“Brian is on the cutting edge of pitching development, but most importantly, he will build relationships with each pitcher on his staff. He will invest his energy into getting the most from each individual pitcher and the pitching staff as a whole.”
Premier Pitching and Performance co-founder & owner, Josh Kesel
“Brian is one of the greatest communicators that I’ve ever been around in this game. He brings an incredible amount of experience with tremendous versatility in his time as a coach. His work in MLB, at Premier Pitching and Performance and Mizzou gives him just the right blend of skills to recruit and develop players at the highest level. This is a hugely impactful hire for coach Bieser and the Tigers.”
