With over 130 pitchers drafted since the inception of the Major League Baseball Draft in 1965, including two who became hall of famers, it makes sense that the University of Southern California must do a great job hiring and maintaining talented pitching coaches.
That pattern seems to be holding true with the hiring of its new pitching coach Keith Zuniga this past June.
Zuniga comes to the University of Southern California after building a nationally ranked pitching staff at the University of Hawaii and replaces Sean Allen who left the Trojans in the off season to become the head baseball coach at Lamar University.
Coach Zuniga, a Nogales, Arizona native, began his collegiate career pitching at Pima Community College in his home state before transferring to the East Coast’s Bethune-Cookman University for his final two years. At the Daytona Beach, Florida based school, Zuniga earned All-MEAC honors (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) in both 2014 and 2015 and finished with a career pitching record of 15-9 and a 2.85 earned run average. At Bethune-Cookman, Zuniga was known for his durability and having great command of his pitches.
Though drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, Keith Zuniga returned to Bethune-Cookman for the 2015 season and then transitioned into a coaching career. From 2015-2017, he served on the Wildcat staff as the director of baseball operations before being promoted to assistant coach. Zuniga remained there through the 2020 season before taking the position as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at New Mexico State University.
From New Mexico State, Keith Zuniga moved on to the University of Hawaii in 2024 as the Rainbow Warriors’ pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. Under his guidance, Hawaii became one of only four programs nationally to rank in the Top 20 in earned run average three years straight. Zuniga’s 2026 staff finished third in the NCAA Division I rankings with a 3.45 ERA.
The website DIbaseball.com rated Southern California’s selection of Keith Zuniga as the seventh best new assistant coaching hire for the 2027 season. With that hire, USC’s head coach Andy Stankiewicz said, “Keith has established himself as one of finest pitching coaches in the country. He is tireless in recruiting and his development of pitchers is a proven commodity. He uses analytics, but more importantly, he works with his pitchers on their mentality and builds relationships with his staff. We are very excited to welcome Coach Zuniga and his family to the Trojan Family.”