Nike Baseball Camp at Charleston Southern University

Since his arrival on campus, the Buccaneer catchers have posted some of their best number in recent history. During his first year in charge of the group, they slashed their wild pitch and passed ball total number from 88 the year before he arrived to 50, a 43% year-over-year decrease. They ranked second in the league in opponent stealing percentage at 74.4%, throwing out 22 runners which tied for the league high.

During his three seasons at Radford, Merrigan worked with the outfielders and assisted with the hitters. In addition, he served as the Camp Coordinator and fulfilled in multiple duties for the program.

In 2018-19, Merrigan worked for Harrisburg Baseball Association in South Dakota within the 18U organization having many duties on and off the baseball field. He also coached in the Valley Baseball League as a part of the New Market Rebels staff.

Merrigan went to the New River Valley after a two-year stint at Youngstown State for the 2017-18 seasons. In his first year at Youngstown State, Merrigan and the YSU staff injected a new energy into the program. With largely the same roster from the previous season along with some late additions over the summer, the Penguins won more games during the 2017 regular season than in five of the previous six years. Additionally, YSU tied for its most Horizon League wins since 2009.

Three senior pitchers were a big factor in the improvement for Youngstown State. Jeremy Quinlan battled through injuries to go 3-0 over nine starts with a 3.95 ERA. He earned complete-game victories in consecutive home starts in April, and YSU went on to have more complete games from its staff than in any of the previous seven years. Quinlan finished his career ranking seventh in school history in games started while also ranking among the top 20 in career innings and strikeouts.

Merrigan came to Youngstown having served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, during the 2016 season. The Mustangs had a 44-16 record, and the pitching staff was a big contributor with 423 strikeouts, the ninth-most in the NAIA. Individually, closer Lance Spongberg ranked 18th in the country with eight saves.

Prior to his appointment at Morningside, Merrigan was the Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach at Highland Community College (Highland, Kan.) in 2015. He served in the same capacity at Wayne State College (Wayne, Neb.) in 2014.

Before entering the college ranks, Merrigan served as an Associate Scout for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2008-13.

He guided several teams to State Tournament appearances while coaching legion teams in South Dakota. His 2007 Sioux Falls Post 15 West team won South Dakota's "A" American Legion championship and finished third in the American Legion Central Plains Regional.

Merrigan was drafted three separate times in his playing career and pitched two seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization from 2001-02. He was drafted for the first time in the 18th round of the 1997 MLB Draft out of Vermillion High School in South Dakota by the Montreal Expos. The Expos selected him again a year later in the 33rd round, and the Cardinals drafted him in the 17th round in 2001.

In 2001, he pitched for the New Jersey Cardinals in the New York-Penn League, which is the same league that the Youngstown-area Mahoning Valley Scrappers play in. Merrigan went on to pitch two seasons in the Northern League for the Sioux Falls Canaries and the Sioux City Explorers in 2003 and 2004. He was selected as a Northern League All-Star in 2003.

As a collegian, Merrigan pitched two seasons at Butler Community College where he posted a two-year record of 10-4 and earned All-Conference honors. He went on to pitch as a junior and senior at Oklahoma State and was named Second-Team All-Big 12 in both seasons and posted a 16-6 overall record.

Merrigan earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Oklahoma State. He has a son named J.D.

Kuhn recently was the head coach at fellow Big South member Radford for the past three seasons. He led the Highlanders to their best start since 2014 during his first year at the helm, in 2020, while raising the team’s batting average 50 points and lowering the team’s earned run average by nearly a full run. The two-top hitters in the league donned the Radford jersey, including the league’s leader in batting average, Colby Higgerson (.431) as well as J.D. Mundy (.385), who also paced the conference in home runs, RBI, total bases and slugging percentage. The pair was joined by pitcher Austin Gerber, who owned a career-best 1.98 ERA, on the all-state squad.

“I am very honored to join the baseball staff at Charleston Southern University,” Kuhn said. “I would like to thank Dr. Dondi Costin, Jeff Barber and Marc MacMillan for this opportunity. Jeff and Marc have both spent significant time at Power 5 institutions, and after so many great years at the University of Virginia, it is refreshing to reunite with leaders that have done it at the highest level. I am excited to assist in bringing another Big South baseball championship to Charleston Southern.”

Prior to joining the Highlanders, Kuhn was in charge of the pitching staff at ACC member Virginia for 16 seasons, beginning in 2004. His hurlers led the Cavaliers to 671 wins, an average of over 41 victories per year, and the unit was ranked among the Top 20 teams nationally in ERA during nine of his final-15 seasons, including the top spot in 2011 and No. 2 listing in 2014. The lowest ERA in the school’s last-40 years came during that 2014 campaign. Overall, the pitchers combined for a top-three national ERA ranking in four other seasons (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009) in addition to a No. 2 national ranking in 2018 with 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

He was a member of the Virginia program which advanced to its first College World Series in 2009 before returning to Omaha and claiming the 2015 national championship, the first in school history. He was selected as the 2014 Collegiate Baseball National Pitching Coach of the Year. The Cavaliers won 437 games during his final-10 years, reaching the College World Series four times (2009, 2011, 2014, 2015), winning five NCAA Regional titles, one ACC Tournament crown and one ACC Coastal Division championship during his tenure in Charlottesville. UVA won at least 50 games four times during the 2010s decade, climbing to as high as No. 1 in the national polls each of those years.

In 2010, he was bestowed the Collegiate Baseball Tom House Teaching Professional of the Year Award, recognizing excellence in teaching pitchers and acknowledging years of continued education and study of the latest pitching techniques as identified by scientific fact and biomechanical research. His Cavaliers pitchers produced 96 shutouts, including a conference-record 16 in 2011, and accumulated a league-best 29 ACC Pitcher of the Week honors.

He oversaw 42 Major League Baseball Draft selections, including 25 in the Top-10 rounds, with four players being first-round choices: Danny Hultzen (2^nd overall in 2011, Seattle Mariners); Nick Howard (19^th overall in 2014, Cincinnati Reds); Nathan Kirby (40^th overall in 2015, Milwaukee Brewers) and Daniel Lynch (34^th overall in 2018, Kansas City Royals).

Six of his players have reached the major league level, including Michael Schwimer (Philadelphia Phillies), Mike Ballard (Baltimore Orioles) both joining the big-league clubs in 2011. Sean Doolittle (Oakland Athletics) made his MLB debut in 2012 and was named an American League All-Star during the 2014 and 2018 campaigns. In 2014, Kyle Crockett (Cleveland Indians) advanced through the farm system in less than a year to reach the pinnacle, becoming the first 2013 draft class selection to reach the big leagues. Tyler Wilson (Baltimore) joined the others with his debut in 2015 and Bennett Sousa (Chicago White Sox) this past April 2022.

He coached 15 All-Americans and 28 All-ACC honorees during his time at Virginia, including three-time first-team All-America Hultzen. The hurler was UVA’s first ACC Freshman of the Year (2009) and then was the program’s first two-time ACC Pitcher of the Year (2010, 2011). Doolittle (2005-06), Jacob Thompson (2007) and Branden Kline (2011) all garnered All-American status and went on to play for the U.S. Collegiate National Team.

Kuhn arrived at Virginia, as the first assistant hired by current head coach Brian O’Connor, after a seven-year stint as the associate head coach and pitching coach at Little Rock from 1997-2003. He oversaw the Trojans’ pitching staff, while also serving as the squad’s recruiting coordinator. He signed five-consecutive nationally ranked classes by Collegiate Baseball.

He also previously spent three years at Charleston Southern, leading the BUCS to their first conference title and NCAA Regional appearance in 1996, playing in the Atlantic Regional in Clemson, South Carolina. He also worked at Valencia Community College (Orlando, Florida) and at Buchholz High School (Gainesville, Florida).

His collegiate playing career began at Valencia from 1987-89 before he transferred to Florida for the 1990 season. He graduated from UF in 1992 with a degree in exercise and sports science.

He is married to the former Katrina Gosdin and the couple has two sons, Kason and Kruse.

For more information regarding #BUCSball, follow @CSUBUCSbaseball on Twitter or visit us at csusports.com.

More About Kuhn…
“Karl Kuhn is an incredible person who is driven by his family values. He fully and passionately lives by those values each and every day. He is a humble man with a strong spirit and a giving heart. He is passionate about creating opportunities for others and does so in both his personal and professional endeavors. I am honored to consider him a close colleague and dear friend. I know that he will continue to make a profound impact both on and off the field!” - Dr. Brian Hemphill, President, Old Dominion University

“Karl Kuhn is an outstanding addition to the Charleston Southern University and the baseball program. He brings a great deal of experience in the areas of recruiting and pitching. He has a passion for coaching, a great knowledge of pitching and he will bring a tremendous amount of enthusiasm to the diamond. Karl also has great ability as a recruiter and evaluator of talent, which will be an asset for the program. I had the pleasure of working alongside Coach Kuhn for 16 years. During his time as a pitching coach, Karl has proven the ability to develop pitchers to win in college baseball. He will get the most out of his pitching staff in every game they play. He is a tireless worker who will help Charleston Southern in every facet of the program.” – Brian O’Connor, Head Coach, University of Virginia
“Karl is hands down the best coach, evaluator, recruiter of talent in the country. Several trips to Omaha, National pitching coach of the year and a National Championship. He has developed and mentored countless professional and Major League pitchers. More importantly, Karl develops his players into men. He is the absolute best at getting the most out of his players because they know how much he cares for them. Charleston Southern hired a phenomenal person, husband, father and coach!!” – Mark Calvi, Head Coach, University of South Alabama

“Ks taught me what I know about pitching. The many lessons of preparation, diligence, attention to detail and how to compete have stuck with me both on and off the field and continue to resonate with me to this day.” - Danny Hultzen, LHP University of Virginia & 2nd Overall Pick in the 2011 MLB Draft
“Coach Ks hard coaching and tough love made me into the man I am today. Without his consistent drive for perfection and loyalty, I truly believe I would have never pitched in the major leagues. Ks never gave up on me and I will forever be grateful for that.” - Bennett Sousa, LHP University of Virginia, 2015 National Champion & 10^th round selection of the Chicago White Sox

“While at UVA for five years, Scott was under the daily guidance of Coach Kuhn. As a result, my son’s confidence, maturity and overall ability to address and resolve challenges grew exponentially. Due in large part to Coach Kuhn, Scott was able to smoothly transition from college and professional baseball into a successful career. The life experiences learned from Coach Kuhn cannot be understated.” - Steve Silverstein, Parent of LHP Scott Silverstein, & 12th Rd Draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays

During his time at Barry, he has been part of over 80 total victories with 28 of them coming this past spring when he served as the head coach. During his second year as an assistant coach, the 2023 season, they posted a 35-19 record on the year and advanced to the Super Regional round for the first time in program history. The NCAA tournament appearance marked the fourth time they had done so in school history as they won the South Region 2 title to secure their spot in the event.

Additionally, Young served as the recruiting coordinator during each of his two seasons when he was an assistant coach for Barry. One of the top accomplishments during his time there was securing the top-rated class in the NCAA Division II according to Perfect Game during each of his seasons with the Buccaneers, claiming those honors for his groups in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Prior to Barry, he coached at Rowan where he helped lead the Profs to a 29-6 record, regular season and tournament championships in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. Additionally, they won the first regional title for Rowan since 2005 and led them to a berth in the NCAA Division III World Series.

Prior to Rowan, he served as the head coach at Paul VI High School for five seasons, from 2015 to 2020, guiding a squad that was ranked in the Top-5 in South Jersey and Top-20 in the state. He began his coaching career in 2006 at his alma mater, Haddon Township High School, where he had two stints for a total of three years (2006-08, 2010). During his time at both schools, he saw 28 of his players move on to play collegiate baseball and had one player ­– Will Gambino of Paul VI – chosen in the MLB Draft.

He started his collegiate career coaching as an assistant coach at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in 2012 and moved to Widener University after that for a season.

Young, a first baseman and outfielder, played at James Madison University, Gloucester County College (RCSJ-Gloucester) and the University of Delaware. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2002 before an injury cut short his professional playing career.

In 2017, he was inducted into the Haddon Township Athletic Hall of Fame for his playing career in both basketball and baseball.

Young earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Oklahoma Panhandle in 2012 and a master's in secondary education from the University of Phoenix in 2020.

Young and his wife Amanda have a young son named Brock.

During McGuire's time with the Bobcats, they have posted some of the top offensive numbers in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). During the 2022 and 2024 season, a quartet of players ended the season with batting averages over .300. In 2022, he worked with Colin Kasperbauer who finished the year top of the MAC in batting average and ranked in the top-50 nationally in the category. Additionally, during that season, a pair of his players were on the national leaderboards in doubles per game with Mason Minzey at .41 for 28^th and Kasperbauer at .38 at 48^th.

Before going to Ohio, McGuire coached at Southern Illinois where he was the Director of Player Development for two seasons. In his second and final year, the Salukis had a 40-21 record, the best year for the program in 31 years. The Salukis were one of the best offensive teams in the nation, ranking in the top-20 nationally in hits (10th), slugging percentage (10th), home runs (15th), and runs scored (16th).

Southern Illinois hit several milestones with McGuire on staff. Starting in the 2020 season and carrying on into 2021, the Salukis won 19 consecutive games, marking the longest winning streak SIU recorded since 1974. SIU's 14-0 start in 2021 was the best start in program history. In 2021, the Salukis hit 84 home runs, which shattered the previous program record of 75 homers set in 1998. SIU also finished the 2021 season with an RPI of 82, the best for the program since 2007. SIU collected five wins over teams in the top-50 of RPI rankings, six wins over teams that made the NCAA Tournament, and nine wins over the in the top-100 of RPI rankings, including a four-game series split with Dallas Baptist, who went on to advance to a Super Regional.

In 2019, McGuire joined the coaching staff at the University of The Incarnate Word as the graduate assistant where he helped the program set a school record for wins with 37. He worked extensively with UIW hitters on pitch recognition and plate discipline, as the Cardinals led the Southland conference in almost every offensive category in 2019.

McGuire's coaching career started in 2018 at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri under head coach Mike Stockton. He worked with outfielders and hitters in his time at Jewell.

McGuire, a Round Rock, Texas native, graduated from the University of Missouri where he led the Tigers in hitting during conference play in 2017 as an outfielder. Before attending the University of Missouri, McGuire played at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. He helped lead the Highlanders to a national runner-up finish in Grand Junction in 2015.

McGuire got married to his wife, Jessica, in November of 2023.

Most recently, he served as an assistant coach for the Lakeshore Chinooks of the Northwoods League during the summer of 2024. Prior to that, he got his start in the collegiate industry by working at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, (UMBC) where he served as the Director of Player Personnel. While there, he helped the squad to a second-place finish in the America East.

In the year prior, he went to work for the Charlotte Knight, the AAA affilliate of the Chicago White Sox where he did work in the front office and clubhouse. He also has experience as a manager in the Empire League where he was in charge of the Saranac Lake Surge. During his first season there, he led them to a league championship while he was just 21 years old. He rejoined the team for the 2022 season as their manager and added the role of Executive Director of the Empire League. Following the end of that season, he joined the Empire State Greys of the Frontier League to be their bench coach.

Manyin attended the University of South Carolina for his undergraduate degree.