Karl Kuhn Earns Collegiate Baseball's Tom House Teaching Professional of Year Award

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia baseball assistant coach Karl Kuhn has been named the recipient of the second annual Tom House Teaching Professional of the Year Award, presented by Collegiate Baseball News.

The award will be presented to Kuhn at the American Baseball Coaches Association Conference Jan 6-9 in Nashville.

The award recognizes excellence in teaching pitchers. These coaches are role models of professional conduct and integrity, which enhances professional instructors and the game of baseball. It acknowledges years of continued education and study of the latest pitching techniques as identified by scientific fact and biomechanical research.

“I am honored to be the recipient of the Tom House Teaching Professional of the Year Award,” Kuhn said. “In a time where so much of our game is based on the success of wins and losses, it is truly refreshing to not only have but to receive an award for the real reason I chose to get into coaching – to teach. I would like to thank John Pinkman, Chair of the Selection Committee, and congratulate all of the talented and hard-working nominees as well.”

The award recognizes Kuhn’s leadership ability and the positive impact he has on the lives of players on and off the field. In addition, Kuhn has been a leader in employing state-of-the-art teaching technologies.

“The success our pitchers have experienced over the last seven years is remarkable,” Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor said. “Much of this is due to Coach Kuhn’s everyday passion for working with our pitchers. He has done a tremendous job in the area of development, which has been critical to our success here at Virginia.”

Kuhn currently is in eighth season as the pitching coach at Virginia. Under his guidance Virginia’s pitching staff has recorded the best cumulative earned run average in the nation over the last seven years (3.26). UVa has ranked in the top 20 nationally in ERA in each of those seasons, including a No. 3 ranking four times.

UVa is the only team in Division I to rank among the top 20 nationally in ERA, strikeouts and fewest hits allowed in each of the last three seasons. UVa’s pitching success has been paramount as the Cavaliers have appeared in seven straight NCAA tournaments and racked up 316 wins over the last five seasons, an average of 45 per year.

Eight Virginia pitchers have earned All-America honors under Kuhn. Nineteen UVa pitchers have been selected in the Major League Baseball Draft in the last seven years – of those, only three were previously drafted out of high school.

Collegiate Baseball notes that the Tom House Teaching Professional Award, in its second year of presentation, will continue in the tradition of The Pitching Coach of the Year Award, now in its eighth year. Kuhn was a finalist for that award in 2008.