Grant Kukuk is entering his third season as the team’s Pitching Coach at Utah Valley. Kukuk will wear jersey number 16 for the 2024 season.
“Grant is one of the bright young pitching coaches in baseball. I was impressed with him from the moment we connected on the phone,” UVU head coach Eddie Smith said. “He brings a perfect blend of traditional philosophy meshed with modern training techniques that will help develop our pitchers at an elite level.”
Here at Utah Valley:
In Kukuk’s Second year as the Pitching Coach (2023),
the Wolverine’s Pitching Staff set the single-season school record in strikeouts on the mound with (480). In 2023 the Wolverines saw continued success in multiple pitching categories. The Wolverine’s ERA deflated from 7.22 to 6.15, walks per 9 innings reduced from 5.3 to 4.2, strikeouts per nine increased from 6.3 to 8.8, and strikeout to walk ratio improved from 1.29 to 2.06. The Wolverines allowance of hits and stolen bases saw significant decreases as well. Opponent’s Batting average has reduced every year since Kukuk’s arrival. In 2021 opponent’s batting average was .317, which reduced to .306 in (2022) and fell under the .300 mark at .289 in (2023). The Wolverine’s hits per nine innings were reduced from 11.4 to 10.4 in 2023. Under Kukuk’s direction, the opponent’s running game decreased notably from 136 steal attempts against to only 90 in 2023, with a Caught Stealing Percentage increase of 35% to 39%.
During the 2023 season, Kukuk guided JR RHP Casey Anderson (5-1, 3.39 ERA, 69 IP, 90 Ks to 25 BB, .240 OPP BA), while earning first-team All-WAC honors. Anderson lead the WAC conference in strikeouts and was also selected in the 11th round (Pick 325) by the Arizona Diamondbacks, being the highest draft pick in UVU's D1 era.
In 2023 the Wolverines pitching staff also saw SR RHP Logan Gerling earn All-WAC Tournament Team Honors with his complete game shutout in the WAC Semifinal to punch the Wolverine’s ticket to WAC Championship Saturday in Mesa, AZ. Pitchers in 2023 saw significant career-best statistical improvements under Kukuk. Ethan Fowlks, JR RHP, posted the best ERA of his career at 4.17. Fowlks also logged the most innings pitched of his career at 58.1 IP. Fowlks went on to post career highs in Saves (4), Strikeout to Walk Ratio (3.9), strikeouts (47) and walks per nine innings (1.8). Devin Smith posted single-season bests in ERA in 2023 at 4.30, WHIP, Win/Loss Percentage, and Opponent’s Batting Average to .293.
During the first year leading the Wolverine Pitching Staff, the Pitching Staff saw improvements in various categories. The Wolverines Pitching staff saw their Walks per Innings Pitched deflate from 5.35 to 4.87. The Pitching Staff also saw decreases in Opponent’s Batting Average (.317 in 2021 to .306 in 2022) and Hits per 9 innings (11.3 in 2021 to 11.0 in 2022).
In 2022, three Pitchers posted their best career ERA in the respected Wolverine Uniform. Nick Sims (3 Year tenure posted a 4.54 ERA in ’22), Blake Zeleny (4 Year Career posted a 5.46 ERA in ‘22), and Devin Smith (3 Year Tenure 6.6 ERA in ‘22). The three noted also saw vast decreases in Opponent’s Batting Average from 2021. Nick Sims deflated his Opponent’s Batting Average Against from .301 in ’21 to .288 in ’22. Blake Zeleny deflating his OPP BA from .330 in ’21 to .254 in ’22. Devin Smith also deflated opponent’s batting average from .337 in ’21 to .306 in ’22.
During the 2022 season, 4-year ace for the Wolverines in Mason Gray saw his Losses on the mound go from 7 in 2021 to 5 in 2022. Gray also saw decreases in HR’s allowed (10 in ’21 to 6 in ’22) and his Total Runs allowed (53 in ’21 to 49 in ’22). Another noted individual improvement is in (SOPH) RHP Luke McCollough. McCollough logged his most career NCAA D1 Innings Pitched going from .2 IP in 2021 to 37.2 IP for the 2022 Wolverines. McCollough also posted his best career Strikeout Numbers in ’22 with 32 Ks while only tallying 36 hits in his 17 Appearance and 2 Games Started year for the Wolverines.
Coaching Stops:
California State-East Bay (NCAA D2)
Prior to his arrival at Utah Valley, Kukuk spent three seasons as an assistant coach at California State East Bay in Hayward, California, where he served as the program’s Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator (2018-21). During his time at NCAA Division II California State East Bay, Kukuk helped deflate the Pitching Staff’s ERA from a near 6, to a 4.44 ERA in 2020 which was the lowest since 2015 at CSU East Bay. Alongside being the Pitching Coach, Kukuk heads up all recruiting duties where Cal State East Bay in 2020 got off to their best start in Program History with a 10-2 record.
College of Southern Idaho (NJCAA)
Before Kukuk’s time at Cal State East Bay, Kukuk was an assistant coach at the College of Southern Idaho for two years, from 2016-18. Kukuk helped the Golden Eagle baseball program achieve impressive results on and off the field.
In 2017, CSI boasted the second-highest grade point average of any junior college team in the country. The following year, Kukuk helped guide the squad to a 50-win season, conference and regional championships, and a trip to the NJCAA Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, CO, where the team took 3rd place.
Summer
Kukuk has also spent time coaching during the summers as an assistant coach for the Neptune Beach Pearl of the California Collegiate Summer League (2017) and the Yakima Valley Pippins of the West Coast League (2018).
Personal
A native of Reno, Nevada, Kukuk began his collegiate pitching career at the College of Southern Idaho. He pitched for the Golden Eagles for two seasons, earning All-Conference honors as a sophomore. He then transferred to Division I WAC Foe in Sacramento State and spent two years as both a starter and reliever for the Hornets, tossing 107.2 innings in 33 career appearances.
Kukuk was also an exemplary student-athlete in the classroom. He was an Academic All-American at CSI, then at Sacramento State, won the Scholar Student-Athlete Award after posting the highest GPA of any student-athlete in any sport. Kukuk earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Sacramento State in 2016, then, while coaching at CSI, obtained a Master's Degree in Human Resource Development from Idaho State in 2018.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT KUKUK
“Grant is one of the up-and-coming pitching coaches on the West Coast. His work ethic and demeanor will allow him to help Utah Valley reach the ‘peak’ in 2022. Eddie Smith made a great hire in securing Grant.”
-Reggie Christianson
Sacramento State Head Coach
Three-time WAC Champion (2014, 2017, 2019)
