Casey Dunn was named the program’s sixth head coach by UAB athletic director Mark Ingram on June 23.
Dunn is a native son of Birmingham, having spent the last seventeen seasons as head coach at crosstown foe Samford.
“We are thrilled to welcome Casey Dunn into our UAB family,” UAB athletic director Ingram said. “His relationships in Birmingham and around the country, along with his track record of success made him an ideal choice. I am confident that UAB can be a dominant force in baseball if we provide the resources necessary for success. We have plans to invest in our facilities in a way that puts our coaches and student-athletes in a position to win championships.”
Dunn found success in his seventeen years with the Bulldogs. He is Samford’s winningest head coach, with his teams amassing a record of 533-422 (.557) with three NCAA regionals appearances. During his tenure, Samford had 51 all-conference student-athletes and four Southern Conference freshman of the year winners.
“I am excited about the opportunity to be the next head baseball coach at UAB,” Dunn said. Samford has and will always hold a special place in my heart. I look forward to the challenge of building a championship team in Conference USA. The vision that Mark has for baseball is one that excites me, and I look forward to working beside him to bring it to reality. To all the former players and supporters, it’s time to get on board and help take UAB to new heights.”
Before his stint at Samford, Dunn was the first head coach at Spain Park High School in suburban Birmingham from 2001 to 2003.
Dunn’s path to head coach at UAB resembles the path taken by former longtime coach Brian Shoop. Shoop, who retired in 2020, was also hired from another smaller Birmingham school, Birmingham-Southern College.
An Auburn graduate, he played for the Tigers for four years from 1996 to 1999 before spending two seasons as a Minor League player within the Kansas City Royals organization.
Dunn takes over the position from Perry Roth, who was serving as interim head coach following Shoop’s retirement. In Roth’s sole season, the Blazers finished with an 18-36 record.
