Julius McDougal, after two season as the head coach at Stillman College, has accepted a coaching position at Division I Eastern Kentucky baseball program where he will serve as the infield and base running coach.
The hire is McDougal’s wish to coach a NCAA Division I baseball program after taking over at Stillman, a stout HBCU baseball program where he first landed as an assistant after playing four-years for Claflin University before landing a coaching position at Stillman in 2013.
Eastern Kentucky was looking for a young coach who could continue to help the program grow. McDougal, 27, was the perfect answer, having coached and played at a high level while coming from a NCAA DII baseball program.
A native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, McDougal served as the head coach, hitting and pitching coach for the Tigers leading to a 21 game winning streak in 2016 and a 13 game winning streak this past 2017 season. He coach the Tigers to upset of six tough top-ranked non-conference opponents which includes five top-ranked HBCU teams in his two-years at Stillman leading the Tigers to a 47-46 record.
I think it’s a good fit, just like when he came to Stillman. He focuses on infield drills and working with the batters on plate discipline and in-game adjustments between at-bats and generates daily reports for use by the coaching staff in establishing depth charts for each position.
Prior to coming to Stillman, McDougal spent one season at Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) foe Kentucky State as an assistant coach. McDougal graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Claflin University in May 2012 where he was an All-SIAC centerfielder in 2010.
His first collegiate win came on opening day to start the 2016 season against a highly ranked Mercyhurst University NCAA Division II team, collecting a 4-2 victory.
Five of his former players from Stillman are playing professionally. McDougal stated “I thank Stillman for the opportunity for being the head coach.” Currently, Stillman is conducting a national search for a new head baseball coach.
Stillman received word that the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) has approved the addition of Stillman athletics effective to began baseball during the 2018-19 season. They will remain a member of the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) and will be eligible for postseason play this coming 2017-2018 season in the NAIA.