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During
his 11 seasons at the University of
Cincinnati, Brian Cleary has established
himself as one of the top coaches ever to
lead the Bearcats on the diamond. After
taking over a struggling program in 1997,
Cleary has led the Bearcats to 267 wins in
his career, ranking second on the school's
all-time win list behind the legendary
Glenn Sample.
By building with youth, the 38-year-old
Cleary has established a strong core of
young athletes. He has upgraded the talent
level within the program thanks to an
emphasis on aggressive recruiting. Cleary
has now set his sights on taking the
program to the NCAA Tournament after a
30-plus year absence.
For the past four seasons, Cleary has
rebuilt a team that should be poised to
contend for BIG EAST championships upon
the program's move to the new conference
this season. With the completion of the
state-of-the-art Marge Schott Stadium and
the signing of three straight top
recruiting classes, Cleary's team should
be one to watch in the BIG EAST for years
to come.
In the fall of 2007, Cleary served as an
assistant coach during the World
Championships for the Great Britian
National Team. During his stay in Europe,
Cleary worked with the British pitchers,
helping the squad capture second place at
the Championships.
2007 ended with UC holding a record of
28-28. At the season's conclusion, pitcher
John Baird was the 12th draft pick of the
Cleary tenure when the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays selected him in the 24th round of the
MLB Draft.
The progression began to show dividends
during the 2006 season as Cleary guided
the Bearcats to their sixth 30-win season
ever and first post-season appearance
since 2001. Following the season, Logan
Parker became the 11th draft pick in the
Cleary era when the Cincinnati Reds
selected him in the 12th round of the MLB
Draft.
The 2005 season brought an improvement of
10 victories from the year before, as the
Bearcats finished the campaign with a
25-30 mark. The season concluded with Josh
Kay and Mark Haske both being selected in
the MLB Draft. Later in 2005, UC's
recruiting class received honorable
mention nationally from Collegiate
Baseball magazine.
Cleary made an immediate impact upon
joining the Bearcat family. After
inheriting a team that won only five games
in 1996, Cleary pushed his teams to
increased win totals each of his first
four years. After winning 12 games in his
first year, he increased that total to 15
in 1998, 30 in 1999 and 35 in 2000.
The 1999 squad posted a breakthrough 30-29
season, shattering 17 individual and eight
team records and finishing as the eighth
most improved team in the nation (12-game
improvement). The 30 wins marked just the
third 30-win season in UC's 115 years of
baseball and the first winning campaign
since 1995.
In 2000, the Bearcats won a school record
35 games and advanced to the finals of the
C-USA Tournament. The squad also set four
individual and eight school records.
In 2001, UC garnered 34 wins, the
second-most in school history, and went
16-11 in Conference USA to finish tied for
third. That finish is the best ever by a
Bearcat team in Conference USA. Kevin
Youkilis was a third-team all-American and
one of three Bearcats taken in the 2001
Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Tony
Maynard was named a freshman All-American,
and Chris Hamblen was a finalist for the
Johnny Bench Award, given to the top
catcher in the nation. That season,
Baseball America named Cleary one of the
Top-10 coaches on the rise in Division I.
Cleary came to UC after three seasons at
Tulane, where he helped the Green Wave to
a 116-70 mark and two NCAA Tournament
appearances. Cleary's efforts as an
associate head coach, assistant coach and
recruiting coordinator helped Tulane to
the 1996 C-USA championship and a top-25
national ranking. In addition to his
duties as recruiting coordinator, Cleary
coached the hitters, infielders and
baserunners and served as the team's
third-base coach.
A 1990 graduate of Fairfield University,
Cleary, a native of Boca Raton, Fla.
earned four letters and was a two-time
Metro Atlantic Conference All-Academic
team pick.
THE BRIAN CLEARY RECRUITING PHILOSOPHY
Brian Cleary's recruiting philosophy is
simple. Start by keeping the best local
talent at home. During Cleary's tenure, he
has brought a slew of local products to UC,
including five who have gone on to play
professionally. Former Bearcats and local
products Curtus Moak (Cincinnati
Reds/Oakland A's), Chris Hamblen (Texas
Rangers), Steve Pickerell (Tampa Bay
Devils Rays), Matt Singer (New York
Yankees) and Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red
Sox) have all played minor league baseball
in various organizations in recent years.
From there, Cleary attracts top players
from across the country, including Josh
Kay (Oakland A's), Mark Haske (Detroit
Tigers) and Logan Parker (Cincinnati Reds)
who have all been selected in the last two
MLB drafts. Cleary's first three
recruiting classes were ranked among the
best in the nation by Collegiate Baseball
magazine, the only program in Ohio so
honored. .
THE BRIAN CLEARY FILE
College:
Fairfield (BA in Management, 1990)
Year at Cincinnati: 12th
Coaching experience: 16 seasons
Louisville (1991), assistant coach: Notre
Dame (1992-93), assistant coach/recruiting
coordinator; Tulane (1994), assistant
coach/recruiting coordinator; Tulane
(1995-96), associate head coach/recruiting
coordinator; Cincinnati (1997-present),
head coach.
Career Record: 239-326-1 overall, same at
Cincinnati.
Playing experience: Fairfield (1987-90),
four-time letterwinner; two-time Metro
Atlantic Conference All-Academic
selection.
Personal: Married, wife Valerie; children
Kevin (8), Michael (6) and Kaelin (4).
Cleary's Year-by-Year Coaching Record
Year School Position Record
1991 Louisville Assistant Coach 32-30
1992 Notre Dame Assistant Coach 48-15
1993 Notre Dame Assistant Coach 46-16
1994 Tulane Assistant Coach 41-24
1995 Tulane Associate Head Coach 32-26
1996 Tulane Associate Head Coach 43-20
1997 Cincinnati Head Coach 12-46
1998 Cincinnati Head Coach 15-38
1999 Cincinnati Head Coach 30-29
2000 Cincinnati Head Coach 35-25
2001 Cincinnati Head Coach 34-24
2002 Cincinnati Head Coach 26-29-1
2003 Cincinnati Head Coach 15-39
2004 Cincinnati Head Coach 15-40
2005 Cincinnati Head Coach 25-30
2006 Cincinnati Head Coach 32-26
2007 Cincinnati Head Coach 28-28 |
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