Veteran college baseball coach Kyle Bunn has joined the University of Houston as its pitching coach, head coach Todd Whitting announced.
Bunn, who brings 17 years of Division I coaching experience to Cullen Boulevard, spent the last three seasons as associate head coach and pitching coach at Middle Tennessee. Last season the Blue Raiders led the nation in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (2.42), finished third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.62) and ranked 10th in WHIP (1.22).
"I am excited to announce Kyle Bunn as our next pitching coach," Whitting said. "While conducting this search, Coach Bunn was highly recommended by some of the elite college baseball coaches in the nation.
Coach Bunn has a long successful track record at some of the top baseball programs in the nation. Year in and year out his staffs are among the NCAA leaders in multiple pitching statistics. Our current pitching staff will reap the great developmental benefits Coach Bunn brings to our program."
The 1999 graduate of The Citadel has helped lead programs to 11 NCAA Tournaments including five NCAA Super Regionals between 2005-10 with Ole Miss, Clemson and Alabama. Bunn has tutored 111 student-athletes selected in the MLB Draft including 20 Big Leaguers along with 24 top-five round selections.
In 13 seasons since the NCAA began tracking walks per nine innings, Bunn's staffs have finished in the top 10% nationally in 10 of those seasons. Bunn is the only NCAA Division I head coach in college baseball history to take three different pitching staffs to the NCAA Super Regionals in a four-year period.
Prior to Middle Tennessee, Bunn spent four seasons as Indiana's pitching coach including his last two seasons as associate head coach. The Hoosiers' staff was regarded among the NCAA's best during his tenure, ranking seventh nationally in ERA (3.08) in 2018, 11th in walks allowed per nine innings (2.67) in 2017 and fifth in WHIP (1.15) during 2016. During the 2020 MLB season, three former Indiana pitchers – all on the same staff – made their Big-League debut.
In 2013, during his second season at East Tennessee State (2012-14), Bunn helped the Bucs to the Atlantic Sun Championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1981. In his first season at ETSU, the Bucs set school records for fewest walks and lowest opponent average.
Bunn helped Alabama and Clemson to NCAA Super Regionals in consecutive seasons (2009-10) following a decorated tenure at Ole Miss. In six seasons (2002-07) with the Rebels, 16 pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft while the staff notched five top-30 finishes nationally in ERA including three top-20 finishes.
In 2007, Ole Miss reached the Tempe Super Regional, while Bunn's pitching staff led the SEC with a team ERA of 3.37 – putting the Rebels 10th overall in the country. During the 2006 season, Ole Miss won the 2006 SEC Tournament and advanced to another Super Regional.
Bunn's pitching staff helped set a record for wins at Ole Miss in 2005 as the Rebels totaled 48 victories, while four players were drafted in the top 100 and six in the first seven rounds – all of whom pitched – marking the most by any Division I program. The staff set a school record with 562 strikeouts in 2005 with all three weekend starters notching 100-plus strikeouts.
The 2004 Ole Miss team made history by hosting the NCAA Regional for the first time, while Bunn's staff set a school mark with 39.2 consecutive scoreless innings pitched. In 2003, Bunn directed a young staff to the lowest ERA (3.45) in the SEC.
He spent the 2001 season as an assistant coach at Coastal Alabama Community College. As a student-athlete at The Citadel, he was a three-year letterwinner, helping the program to three Southern Conference titles while earning the team's Ace Pitching Award in 1999.
