Mizzou baseball pitching coach passes away
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou baseball pitching coach Brian DeLunas passed away on Sunday night. MU confirmed the news on Monday.
DeLunas had been battling kidney disease. He was 46 years old.
“Words cannot describe how heartbroken we are in the loss of our friend, Brian DeLunas,” head coach Steve Bieser said in a release. “In the months since his return to Mizzou, he has made an indelible impact on our team through his love of the game and his players along with his inspirational courage off the field. Brian was a tremendous husband, father, brother and coach, and our hearts go out to Johannah, Rory, Maren and the entire DeLunas family as we ask everyone to keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”
MU re-hired DeLunas in June of 2021. It was the beginning of his second stint at MU. From 2007-09, he was a volunteer assistant and pitching coach for the Tigers.
DeLunas is a St. Louis native. He went to Oakville High School, and he went on to play collegiately at Missouri Baptist University.
His nephew Austin Cheeley is a senior pitcher for the Tigers.
He wrote on social media, "Amazing Uncle, and an even better coach. Happy to have gotten the chance to play for him for even just a short period. The world lost a truly amazing baseball mind way too soon."
