Brian McCullough named Assistant Coach at Longwood

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

FARMVILLE, Va. — Longwood University 32nd-year baseball head coach Buddy Bolding has announced the recent appointment of former starting pitcher and team captain Brian McCullough as a new Assistant Coach.  He previously has played professionally for the past three seasons in the independent Frontier League.  McCullough was a four-year starter for the Lancers (2004-07) while majoring in business management.  He will serve as the program’s pitching coach while also assisting with all baseball operations, including recruiting.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Coach Brian Michael McCullough back to Longwood,” said Bolding.  “In addition to being one of our all-time greatest pitchers, Brian has gone on to play successfully for three seasons as a professional.  He brings with him extraordinary teaching skills, is devoted to the all-important concept of preparation first, and is a staunch proponent of soundness of mechanics with his pitching staff.  We are indeed fortunate for our our young men to have the opportunity to learn and develop under the tutelage of a former Lancer who recorded monumental pitching wins over the Indiana Hoosiers, ODU Monarchs, JMU Dukes, West Virginia Mountaineers, and other D-I teams of note.”

McCullough was 6-4 with a 2.57 ERA as a senior in 2007, earning Independent Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-Independent honors.  He led the Longwood pitching staff that season in games started (15), complete games (5), wins (6), shutouts (2), ERA (2.57), innings pitched (105.0), strikeouts (73), and runners picked-off (8) while adding one save.  McCullough ranked among the Independent Baseball leaders in ERA, wins, innings, games started, shutouts, complete games, and opponent batting average (.255), and was on both the pre-season and late-season ‘revised’ Wallace Watch List.  He holds school-records for career innings (329.0) and strikeouts (258), and ranks third in career ERA (3.56), sixth in fewest walks per game (2.49), seventh in wins (20), and ninth in winning percentage (.588, 20-14).
Through three years of professional baseball, McCullough has posted a 14-13 record with a 4.12 ERA through 209.2 innings with 125 strikeouts (5.37).  Playing for Florence (Ky.), Chillicothe (Ohio), Windy City (Ill.), and Washington (Pa.), he has made 71 appearances with 25 starts, four complete games, and two shutouts.  His best year was 2007 when he was a combined 5-3 with a 2.20 ERA through 77.2 innings with 51 strikeouts (5.91).  McCullough finished 2009 with a 6-5 record, 5.03 ERA, 77.0 innings, and 40 strikeouts (4.68).

McCullough is a native of Virginia Beach, graduating from Princess Anne High School in 2003.  His great grandfather, Samuel Franklin ‘Sank’ McCullough, played for New York Giants and San Antonio Indians while Sank’s brother, Paul Willard McCullough, played for Washington Senators.