Eric Bunnell, a Northeast Ohio native, has joined the Youngstown State baseball program as an assistant coach, Head Coach Dan Bertolini announced on Monday.
Bunnell served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Chicago in 2018 and has 14 years of collegiate coaching experience.
“Eric is a great addition to the program and we’re excited to welcome him to the YSU baseball family,” Bertolini said. “It’s great to add another quality coach from Northeast Ohio. Eric will be working with our catchers and hitters and serve as the director of our baseball camps. I am extremely happy to add a coach of his character and experience to our staff.”
With Bunnell on the staff last season, UChicago tied the school record for wins in a season by posting a 26-13 record while the offense scored eight runs per game. Outfielder Maximiliano Larsen was named as an All-Region selection by D3baseball.com after ranking second in the nation with 23 doubles. Larsen also broke the school record for career doubles with 60.
In addition to working with the Maroons’ hitters, Bunnell also worked with the defense and base runners.
Bunnell spent the 2014-17 seasons as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. where he worked with infielders and base runners. The Pumas went 35-22 in 2017 on their way to earning berths in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) tournament and the NCAA Tournament. The Pumas posted a .968 fielding percentage in 2015, which was the program’s highest mark in more than a decade.
Prior to joining the staff at SJC, Bunnell served as the top assistant at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, from 2011-13. During his tenure, the program won 66 games over a three-year span and qualified for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament in back-to-back seasons. The Storm set a school record for wins in 2012 with 27.
In 2009 and 2010, Bunnell was an assistant coach at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. The Cardinals won the 2010 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championship on their way to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Bunnell got his start in coaching at his alma mater, Mount Union, during the 2005-08 seasons. During that span, the Purple Raiders tied the school record for wins twice and made two conference tournament appearances.
In 2008, Bunnell was named Manager of the Year in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League after guiding the Stark County Terriers to a franchise-best 27 victories. Since 2004, 20 of his former players have gone on to play professionally.
During his playing career at Mount Union, Bunnell earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors in 2003 and was named to the All-Tournament team in 2002 after helping lead the Purple Raiders to the conference championship game.
A native of Conneaut, Ohio, Bunnell earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Mount Union as well as a master’s degree in liberal studies from North Central College.
