FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
HARRISONBURG, Va., August 14, 2012 – James Madison baseball head coach Spanky McFarland announced the addition of former pitcher Jason Kuhn as a volunteer coach, joining the program for the 2013 season.
“It’s good to have him back,” stated McFarland. “He was a big part of some big teams. He’ll be able to help us in that regard. More specifically, he’ll assist me with the pitchers. He took two years to learn the game and learn coaching at St. Andrews, and we felt like he was ready to step into Division I coaching.”
Since graduating from JMU in 2010, Kuhn accepted a volunteer coaching position at St. Andrews University, a NAIA school in Laurinburg, N.C. on the state’s southern border. After his first season, he was elevated to the second assistant position and pitching coach while being heavily involved in recruiting 23 new student-athletes to the program.
During his two years working with the pitching staff at St. Andrews, Kuhn was able to achieve steady improvement each season. In his first season in 2011, he reduced the team earned run average by 0.93 while trimming eight percentage points off the batting average against. The improvement continued in his second season in 2012 with another 0.90 off the ERA and a 23-point reduction in the average against.
Kuhn was a five-year member of the Diamond Dukes from 2006 to 2010, missing the 2007 campaign due to injury. He was part of the 2008 squad that accomplished the first Colonial Athletic Association championship in program history. JMU went 137-87 during his four seasons of competition with at least 30 wins in each campaign.
Individually, Kuhn posted a 4-3 record, two saves and a 7.54 ERA in 55 career appearances, primarily as a reliever. His most extensive work came as a senior when he posted career bests of 47 1/3 innings, 20 appearances and 23 strikeouts. Three of his four career wins came as a senior, along with all six of his career starts.
“It is an honor to be able to return to the baseball program at James Madison,” commented Kuhn. “It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with the coaches who taught me the game as a player. I will do all that I can to help this program get back to the top.”
Kuhn graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from JMU in 2010.
