Casey Dunn

Hometown: Birmingham, Ala. Position: Head Coach Birthdate: 10/03/1976

Alma Mater: Auburn, '99

E-Mail: cbdunn1@samford.edu

Casey Dunn was named Samford's head baseball coach in August 2004.

Under his leadership, the Bulldogs have posted 30-plus wins in five of the last six seasons. In 2011, the Bulldogs finished third in the prestigious Southern Conference, and they reached the finals of the SoCon Tournament, finishing one win short of the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The team won a school-record 37 games in 2011.

Dunn's 2011 team featured four players who were selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. Pitchers Grant Sides, Andrew Jones and Josh Martin, along with second baseman Michael Johnson were all taken in the MLB Draft.

Five Bulldogs were also named to the Coaches' All-SoCon team in 2011, and the pitching staff set school records for lowest ERA, fewest runs allowed, fewest earned runs allowed and most strikeouts, while tying the school record for most saves.

In just his second season as head coach, he took the baseball team from not qualifying for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to being the league's regular-season champion and the top seed in the league's postseason tournament. The team won a then-school record 34 games, and Dunn was named the OVC's Coach of the Year.

Dunn followed up the success of 2006 with a second-straight winning season in 2007, marking the first time Samford posted back-to-back winning seasons in more than 40 years.

In 2008, the team finished second in the OVC in the regular season. The team posted 33 wins, ranking behind only Dunn's 2011 and 2006 squads for wins in a single season.

Under Dunn's leadership, the 2008 team also produced Samford's highest draft pick when Michael Marseco was drafted in the 11th round of the Major League Baseball draft.

After his first season, Dunn and his staff signed the largest recruiting class in Samford baseball ­history: 20 players, including nine transfers. The class was ranked 69th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. Samford was ranked 29th among teams in the Southeast, third in Alabama and first in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Dunn and his staff have continued to recruit successfully. Each of their first three ­signing classes were ranked nationally.

Dunn, who was an assistant coach at Auburn University from mid-July 2004 until he was hired at Samford, ­started the baseball program at Spain Park High School in Birmingham. In three years at Spain Park, he posted a record of 53-41. His teams won two Jefferson County titles and a co-region champion­ship, and earned two state playoff appearances. In 2002, Dunn was named the Over the Mountain Coach of the Year, and he was named Coach of the Year by The Birmingham News in 2003.

Dunn played four seasons as a catcher at Auburn (1996-99). As a senior, he earned All-America honors after batting .379 with a Southeastern Conference-leading 86 RBI. He helped lead the Tigers to a 1999 NCAA Regional Championship, the 1998 SEC Tournament title and a 1997 College World Series ­appearance.

At the end of his senior season at Auburn, Dunn was presented with the Cliff Hare Award for the school's top male athlete.

At the conclusion of his collegiate ­playing career, Dunn played two seasons in the Kansas City Royals organization. He played with minor league teams in Wilmington, N.C., and Spokane, Wash.

Dunn graduated from Auburn in 1999 with a degree in social science secondary ­education. He is married to the former Marty Goldthorp. They have a son, Sam, 5, and a daughter, Linlee, 4.

Assistant Coach Tony David

Assistant Coach Mick Fieldbinder

Assistant Coach Rucker Taylor