Baseball: McMullan named National Assistant Coach of the Year

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia associate head coach Kevin McMullan was named the 2024 ABCA/Marines National Assistant Coach of the Year, the American Baseball Coaches Association announced on Wednesday. McMullan is the Division I representative on the ABCA’s list.

McMullan also won the ABCA National Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2009.

As the hitting coach in 2024, McMullan presided over one of the most potent offenses in the country. The Cavaliers ranked top five nationally in hits (2nd – 752), batting average (3rd – .333), doubles (4th – 151), runs (5th – 581) and slugging percentage (5th – .567).

Additionally, UVA placed in the top-10 in the country in scoring (6th – 9.2), on-base percentage (7th – .425) and sacrifice flies (8th – 33). Virginia batters also homered a program record 116 times in 2024 and eclipsed the 700-hit mark for the second-straight season and fifth time in program history.

The Cavalier offense helped propel the program to its third College World Series appearance in four years and the seventh since 2009.

Individually, five Cavalier batters picked up All-America honors at the end of the season while Griff O’Ferrall the recipient of the Brooks Wallace Award, given annually to the nation’s top shortstop. O’Ferrall was the first Cavalier ever to win the award.

To round out the success in 2024, a quartet of Cavaliers were selected in the MLB draft including O’Ferrall going 32nd overall to the Baltimore Orioles.

Four or more Cavaliers have been selected in the MLB Draft in 17 of the 21 seasons under head coach Brian O’Connor and associate head coach McMullan.

The ABCA began honoring a National Assistant Coach of the Year annually in 1999. The Assistant Coach of the Year has since expanded and now recognizes outstanding assistant coaches from eight divisions of college baseball and three divisions of high school baseball.

Coaching expertise, recruiting, loyalty to the program and respect for the players and the game are some of the many criteria examined when reviewing the candidates for the award. Assistant Coach of the Year honorees are voted on and selected by the ABCA All-America and Coach of the Year committees, in conjunction with the ABCA national office.