Arkansas State pitching coach Alan Dunn not returning

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Arkansas State baseball will begin a search for a new pitching coach. Alan Dunn and A-State have parted ways, sources told KAIT Friday morning.

AStateNation was first to report. The move was made official nearly a week later with the extension of head coach Tommy Raffo.

“I want to thank AD for his commitment to our program over the last two years,” Raffo said. “I have the utmost respect for him as a person and a coach. I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.”

The Red Wolves ranked 252 out of 295 Division I teams with a 7.35 earned run average this season, Dunn’s second with the program. A-State ranked bottom three in the conference in strikeouts (383, last), opponent batting average (.298, 12th) and walks (289, 12th).

In Sun Belt play, the first season with newcomers Southern Miss, Marshall, James Madison and Old Dominion, opponents hit .307 against A-State, blasting 47 home runs and allowing a 7.94 ERA, all second-worst in the conference.

The emergence of redshirt freshman Kyler Carmack was a bright spot for A-State this season. The righty went 5-3 in 12 starts this season, ranking second in the Sun Belt with a 3.23 ERA. He also ranked top 10 in the conference in opponent’s batting average (.242). He was the only Red Wolf among 20 pitchers who made an appearance this season that recorded an ERA under 4.

Junior pitcher Arlon Butts was the closest. The JUCO transfer led the team in saves with 4, recording a 4.05 ERA with 45 strikeouts to 20 walks in 46.2 innings pitched.

Carmack transferred to Ole Miss within a week of the announcement.

The Red Wolves didn’t have a ton of continuity from the 2022 squad. Of those 20 pitchers, only 6 saw the mound in 2022. A-State’s pitching staff had just four seniors this year (Tyler Jeans, Austin Brock, Jakob Frederick, Kevin Wiseman).

Dunn’s first season saw the Red Wolves finish last in the Sun Belt in ERA (6.61) and opponent batting average (.295). The team fired 393 strikeouts, ninth most in program history. It also saw an improvement from the 2021 squad in strikeouts per nine innings (8.5) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.53).

The Alabama native joined the Red Wolves after spending a decade as the Pitching Coach at LSU, winning the 2015 Collegiate Baseball National Pitching Coach of the Year while coaching future MLB All-Stars Aaron Nola and Kevin Gausman. He also had stints in the MLB as the Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitching Coordinator and the Baltimore Orioles bullpen coach.

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