Mizzou makes pitching coach hire official; Brian DeLunas returns to Mizzou

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou baseball team announced the hiring of Brian DeLunas as MU's new pitching coach on Thursday afternoon.

It will be DuLunas' second stint at Mizzou. He served as an assistant coach for the Tigers in the 2007-2009 seasons. In that time, the team appeared in three-straight NCAA regionals and notched over 400 strikeouts each of his three seasons. DeLunas also mentored Tiger standouts Kyle Gibson and Aaron Crow.

"I am truly excited about the opportunity to come home and be back in the Black and Gold," DeLunas said in a press release. "It's an honor and a privilege to wear Mizzou across the chest and I look forward to the challenge of returning the pitching program back to the prominence it once held as 'Pitcher U'.

Most recently, DeLunas spent time as the special project coordinator for the New York Mets. He's no stranger to the major leagues, as he spent three seasons with the Seattle Mariners as the bullpen coach.