A veteran of the Cal U baseball program, Chris Brunson enters his 14th season as an assistant coach with the Vulcans after also playing two seasons at Cal U.
Brunson has been instrumental in helping the Vulcans reach the PSAC Tournament 12 times in the last 13 years after earning at least a share of the PSAC West title six times. While on the coaching staff, Cal U has totaled 400 overall victories and registered an impressive .676 winning percentage in divisional play. The Vulcans have also claimed a pair of PSAC Tournament titles (2004, 2010) and made a pair of appearances in the NCAA Tournament (2007, 2010).
Throughout his career, Brunson has coached nearly two dozen All-PSAC West pitchers and mentored 11 pitchers who played professionally. He helped develop two-time PSAC West Pitcher of the Year Randy Sturgill, who set the single-season and career school records for victories. Sturgill was an ABCA All-American and national semifinalist for the Tino Martinez Award as a redshirt sophomore before playing professionally with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League.
Last season, Brunson worked with a pitching staff primarily of underclassmen and helped the Vulcans record the second-winningest season in program history. Cal U led the PSAC and ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division II with a team ERA of 3.09. The pitching staff also tied for second in the league in complete games and ranked third in shutouts.
Cal U previously ranked second in the PSAC in ERA in both 2004 and 2005. The Vulcans claimed their first tournament title in 25 years during the 2004 campaign behind the play of five All-PSAC West selections, including PSAC West Athlete of the Year Mike Larson who led the team in batting average, homers and ERA. As a junior, Ian Heisel tied the school record for appearances that year and led the team in both wins and saves.
The following year, Heisel and sophomore Chris Doerschner both earned All-PSAC West honors after tying for the team lead in wins and complete games. Heisel later pitched four seasons professionally, including two in the minor leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Doerschner became only the second pitcher in program history to earn All-PSAC West three times in a career.
Brunson joined the coaching staff in 2001 and was pivotal in helping the Vulcans lead the PSAC in ERA during his first season. The following year, senior Ryan Balan led the NCAA Division II in ERA and was tabbed the PSAC West Athlete of the Year after also leading the team in victories, innings, batting average, homers, RBI. An ABCA All-American, Balan spent a year in the minor leagues with the Boston Red Sox before continuing his professional career overseas.
A native of Greensburg, Pa., Brunson played for the Vulcans and current head coach Mike Conte during the 1999 and 2000 seasons and was named a team captain as a senior. He led the pitching staff in ERA and innings pitched as a junior before helping the program record a 17-win improvement the following year – the most dramatic since post-1960.
Brunson earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Cal U in 2000 and later completed his master’s degree in 2002, majoring in Geography and Regional Planning.
He currently resides in Mt. Pleasant, Pa., with his wife Heather and their three daughters, Haylie, Krista and Kendra.
