Brian DeLunas
| Brian DeLunas | |
|---|---|
| Pitching coach | |
| Born: May 3, 1975 St. Louis, Missouri | |
| Died: January 16, 2022 (aged 46) Columbia, Missouri | |
| Teams | |
As coach
|
Brian DeLunas (May 3, 1975 – January 17, 2022) was an American baseball coach. He served as the bullpen coach of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2018 and 2020. He was the pitching coach of the Missouri Tigers from 2006 to 2009 then again from June 2021 until his death in January 2022.
Career
[edit]DeLunas attended Oakville High School in Oakville, Missouri. He then played college baseball for the Missouri Baptist Spartans. A rotator cuff injury ended his pitching career.[1][2]
DeLunas began coaching baseball in 2004.[1] He was the pitching coach at Forest Park Community College in 2005 and 2006, then a volunteer assistant pitching coach for the Missouri Tigers from 2006 through 2009, where he helped develop future MLB pitchers Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson.[3][4][2] In 2009, he was the pitching coach for the Duluth Huskies.[3] He then was the pitching coach at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis, Missouri in 2010 and 2011. He then co-founded and worked as program director of Premier Pitching and Performance and served as director of pitching development for CSE Baseball, both based in St. Louis.[5][6]
The Seattle Mariners hired DeLunas as their bullpen coach prior to the 2018 season.[5] He served as the Mariners director of pitching development strategies in the 2019 season. He was returned to the role of bullpen coach for the 2020 season.[7][8] The Mariners did not renew his contract after the 2020 season.[9] He worked as a special projects coordinator for the New York Mets in 2001.[2][10] In June 2021, DeLunas became the pitching coach for the Missouri Tigers.[11]
Personal life
[edit]DeLunas and his wife, Johannah, had two children.[12] His nephew played college baseball for Missouri, the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, and Jefferson College.[2][13]
DeLunas died from kidney disease on January 16, 2022, at the age of 46.[14] He had dealt with kidney issues since 2006, getting a kidney transplant from his brother.[1][2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Berger, Eric. "Playing Hardball in South County | Play Ball | St. Louis News and Events". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bromberg, Lila (January 19, 2022). "Former Mizzou Tigers pitching stars recall how late coach Brian DeLunas gave them an edge". Kansas City Star.
- 1 2 Seattle Mariners 2018 Media Guide. p. 23.
- ↑ "Mizzou Mourns the Passing of Pitching Coach Brian DeLunas". Missouri Tigers. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
- 1 2 Divish, Ryan (December 4, 2017). "Mariners hire Brian DeLunas as bullpen coach". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ↑ Johns, Greg (January 20, 2016). "Mariners hire Brian DeLunas as bullpen coach". MLB.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ↑ "MIL@SEA: Delunas discusses new role with Mariners | 03/01/2019". MLB.com. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
- ↑ Johns, Greg (November 7, 2019). "Mariners unveil 2020 coaching staff". MLB.com. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ↑ "Mariners don't renew the contracts of trainer Rick Griffin, bullpen coach Brian DeLunas and 3 others". The Seattle Times. October 8, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ↑ "Former Mariners coach DeLunas dies at 46". MLB.com. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Mizzou hires St. Louis native Brian DeLunas as pitching coach | Mizzou Sports News". stltoday.com.
- ↑ Baugh, Peter (July 13, 2018). "St. Louis native Brian DeLunas steers successful ship of Mariners relievers". stltoday.com.
- ↑ "Austin Cheeley - College Baseball Statistics". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
- ↑ Anstine, Jack (January 17, 2022). "University of Missouri mourns death of baseball pitching coach Brian DeLunas". KSHB. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet
- Brian DeLunas on X