Baseball Names Rudy Darrow Pitching Coach

NEW ORLEANS – The University of New Orleans baseball team finalized its coaching staff for the upcoming 2017 season with the hiring of pitching coach Rudy Darrow, second-year Privateers head coach Blake Dean announced Thursday.

Darrow arrives on the Lakefront from Oklahoma where served as the Sooners' volunteer assistant last season. In addition, he previously was an assistant from fall 2010 through the end of the 2013 at his alma mater and fellow Southland Conference member, Nicholls State University, and spent four seasons as a professional player in the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves organizations.

"I'm extremely excited to bring Rudy into our program," Dean said. "He has plenty of quality Division I experience at Nicholls and, most recently, at Oklahoma under Pete Hughes. The one thing I believe he will bring to the table is a lot of energy and a steady dose of intensity each day. He's a player's coach and will be a valuable asset to have on our staff this year." 

While at Oklahoma for the 2016 season, Darrow helped the Sooners finish 30-27-1 overall record, including a pair of victories in the Big 12 Conference Tournament. As the team's recruiting coordinator and catchers' coach, he oversaw the development of four backstops who handed an OU staff that posted a 4.41 ERA and a .265 opponent batting average to go with a 1.69 strikeout-to-walk ratio courtesy of 432 Ks and 255bases on balls. Darrow played an integral role in the Sooners landing 17 new recruits for the 2017 campaign: 10 true freshmen and seven transfers, including five from the junior-college ranks.

During his time as an assistant at Nicholls, Darrow originally rejoined the Colonel program as a volunteer assistant for the 2011 season before serving as the team's pitching coach his final two years in Thibodaux. He helped lower the team ERA each season he oversaw the staff, including a 4.18 mark in 2013 – which was the Colonels' lowest team ERA in 15 years. In 2012, Nicholls led the Southland Conference with a 2.07 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 323 punches while issuing just 156 free passes.
Among the hurlers Darrow oversaw at Nicholls, Brad Delatte became the second-highest player ever drafted out of Nicholls as the southpaw was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 Major League Amateur Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Between his previous collegiate coaching stints, Darrow spent two seasons at Norman North High School as the assistant coach. During his time with the Timberwolves, Darrow helped the team to back-to-back appearances into the Oklahoma 6A West Regional Tournament and set a school record with a 2.49 team ERA in 2015. He also served as the pitching coach for the Waterloo Bucks of the Northwoods League in summer of 2011, as the team finished fourth in the South Division and posted a 4.17 ERA.
A native of Perkins, Oklahoma, Darrow was a standout pitcher and wrestler at the prep level and began his college playing career at Labette Community College in 2002. He transferred to Nicholls in fall 2004 and, after missing his first Division I season with an injury, led the Colonels with six saves and 20 appearances in 2006 while posting a win and 20 strikeouts in 20.1 innings of work out of the bullpen.

That year, he was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 32^nd round of the MLB Draft. Darrow pitched in 113 games at the Minor League level, twice reaching Double-A with call ups in 2008 and 2009 to the Erie SeaWolves and Mississippi Braves, respectively.

"I am grateful for the opportunity I have been afforded to work alongside great coaches like Blake Dean and Brett Stewart," Darrow said. "I'm seen firsthand how Blake runs his program and I look forward to building strong relationships and developing student-athletes here at the University of New Orleans."

Darrow joins a UNO squad that is coming off a 31-26 campaign, which saw the Privateers post the fourth-biggest turnaround in terms of Division I wins from the 2015 to 2016 seasons, and advanced to the SLC Tournament for the first time since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 school year.

The Privateers return six pitchers from last season – including the weekend rotation of Riley Hodge, Shawn Semple and Bryan Warzek. The returning arms represent 85.9 percent of the team's starts (49-of-57), 67.8 percent of its wins (21-of-31), 63.5 percent of its innings pitched (316.0-of-497.2) and 63.0 percent of its strikeouts (252-of-400) from a year ago.

The Privateers will open fall practice on Monday, Oct. 17, and the off-season drills will conclude with a five-game Fall World Series. The Fall World Series will begin on Tuesday, Nov. 16, and culminate on Saturday, Nov. 19, with a Family Day celebration.