Kansas State University Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Pitching Coach
Born: February 11, 1984
Hometown: Perkins, Okla.
High School: Perkins Tryon
College: Nicholls State University, Bachelor’s in General Studies, ‘06
Labette Community College, Associate’s in Liberal Arts, ‘04
Family: Wife: Jessica; Children: Rooney, Danni, Merrick
Professional Playing Career
Drafted in the 32nd round by the Detroit Tigers of the 2006 MLB Draft
Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves organizations (2006-09)
Collegiate Playing Career
Nicholls State (2005-06)
Labette Community College (2003-04)
Coaching Career
K-State, assistant/pitching coach (2023-present)
Norman North High School, assistant coach (2021-22)
Central Oklahoma, assistant/pitching coach (2019-20)
New Orleans, assistant/pitching coach (2016-19)
Oklahoma, volunteer assistant/recruiting coordinator (2015-16)
Norman North High School, assistant coach (2014-15)
Nicholls State, assistant/pitching coach (2010-13)
With 12 years of Division I coaching experience in addition to a decorated collegiate and professional playing career, Rudy Darrow enters his third season as the pitching coach at K-State. Head baseball coach Pete Hughes announced Darrow as the Cats’ pitching coach on July 7, 2022.
Known for his relentless work ethic and charismatic leadership, Darrow has improved each pitching staff he has been a part of and saw records fall at each stop at Nicholls State, Oklahoma, New Orleans and Central Oklahoma while sending multiple arms to the next level.
In 2024, Darrow spearheaded a pitching staff that struck out a program record 590 batters, finishing 19th overall in the nation. The pitching staff logged a 2.43 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which was third-best in the Big 12 and 27th nationally while the Cats’ 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings was fourth in the league and 33rd overall.
Two right-handers were selected in the first five rounds of the 2024 MLB Draft, as Tyson Neighbors was taken in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres and Jackson Wentworth in the fifth by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Neighbors, who earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in 2024, made a team-high 22 relief appearances and finished second in the league with a team-leading nine saves. Neighbors ended his career third all-time in school history with 20 career saves.
With 115 strikeouts on the year, Wentworth finished 18th in the nation in total punchouts followed by left-hander Owen Boerema, who finished seven spots behind nationally with 110. The duo finished second and third in the single-season records.
Wentworth was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List before taking on a weekend starter roll, while he picked up Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (April 2) accolades following his monumental effort where he combined for nine innings of three-hit, one run ball in three appearances.
Boerema became the first pitcher in K-State history to throw a complete game in a conference tournament, as the lefty tossed a complete game against West Virginia (May 22) in the elimination game of the Big 12 tournament. Boerema’s complete game set the record for the longest outing in an NCAA game held at Globe Life Field. He finished his K-State career fourth overall in total strikeouts (205).
Left-hander Jacob Frost and Wentworth combined for the K-State’s first no-hitter since 1991, blanking Cincinnati 4-0 in the 2024 Big 12 opener. Frost earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (March 10) honors for his role in the no-hitter.
In his first season with the Wildcats, Darrow led the pitching staff that finished just second to Oklahoma State with a 2.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio and fifth in the Big 12 conference with a 5.20 ERA. The Cats struck out 507 batters while issuing 215 walks, compared to the previous year with a 5.84 ERA and 280 walks. K-State issued the fewest walks in the Big 12 with 215 while also leading the league in walks allowed per nine innings, allowing just 3.82.
The staff was led by senior transfer Owen Boerema as the left-hander worked his way into the starting rotation. Boerema earned Second Team All-Big 12 accolades in his first season, striking out a season class record 95 batters which ranked fifth in the league.
Neighbors became just the second Wildcat is school history to earn consensus All-American honors and was a First Team All-Big 12 selection and led the league with 11 saves. He set school season class records in saves along with a record setting 1.85 ERA (10 ER, 48.2 IP) as a sophomore pitcher. He also broke the program's TrackMan-era pitch velocity record at 99-mph in the series opening win against No. 14 Texas Tech (April 28).
Neighbors was named NCBWA Stopper of the Year Finalist as he held opponents to a .135 batting average In 25 outings with 86 strikeouts. The Royse City, Texas product was one of just two relievers from the Big 12 to rank in the Top 10 in total strikeouts in league standings.
Holding Kansas roots, Darrow’s collegiate career that began at Labette Community College in Parsons in 2003, where spent two seasons as both a catcher and a pitcher He transferred to Nicholls State and led the Colonels with six saves and 20 relief appearances in 2006. He boasted a 4.43 ERA (10 ER, 20.1 IP) and 20 strikeouts in his senior season before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 32nd round of the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Darrow went on to a four-year professional career, reaching Double-A Eerie within the Tigers’ organization in 2008 and Double-A Mississippi in 2009 with the Atlanta Braves’ system. The 2008 season saw his best pro campaign, as he went 5-3 with 10 saves and a 2.02 ERA (14 ER, 62.1 IP) along with 57 strikeouts. That season, he was promoted from Single-A West Michigan to Double-A Eerie before being selected to the Arizona Fall League.
He then rose from rookie ball to the Double-A level (Mississippi) while in the Braves’ minor league system in 2009. Over 113 career professional appearances, he was 14-7 with 12 saves and a 3.70 ERA. He struck out 139 hitters with a career strikeout rate of 8.6 per nine innings.
Following his professional career, Darrow returned to his alma mater in 2010 as Nicholls State’s volunteer assistant and was promoted to assistant and pitching coach in 2011. The Colonels lowered their team ERA in each of Darrow’s four seasons, as their 4.18 earned run average in 2013 was the program’s lowest in 15 seasons.
In 2012, Nicholls State led the Southland Conference with a 2.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio (323 strikeouts, 156 walks). Additionally, he tutored the Colonels’ second highest draft pick in program history, as Brad Delatte was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays.
After a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Norman North High School (Oklahoma) that included a school-record 2.49 ERA in 2015, he joined Hughes’ staff at Oklahoma in 2016 as the volunteer assistant and recruiting coordinator. He helped the Sooners to a 30-27-1 record in which they boasted a 4.41 team ERA. Additionally, he played an integral role in bringing the 2017 recruiting class to Norman, who aided the Sooners’ run to the NCAA Louisville Regional that year.
Darrow and Hughes saw three Sooner arms taken in the 2016 MLB Draft: Alec Hansen (2nd round, Chicago White Sox), Jake Elliott (15th round, Chicago White Sox) and Alex Daniele (19th round, Texas Rangers).
Darrow then went on to serve as pitching coach at New Orleans for four seasons. In 2018, he led the Privateers to 580 strikeouts – a school and Southland Conference record – and ranked 21st nationally with 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. His staff turned in a 4.31 ERA in the 2018 season and a 4.43 earned run average in 2017.
While at UNO, he sent four pitchers to the professional ranks. Shawn Semple was taken in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees, Bryan Warzek was a sixth-round selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 and Reeves Martin was a 21st-round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2019. Additionally, Kyle Arjona inked an undrafted free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2018 Draft and reached the Triple-A level.
Martin highlighted three first-team all-Southland Conference selections in Darrow’s tenure at New Orleans. Martin, the 2019 Southland Conference Relief Pitcher of the Year, earned first-team honors that season as well as Semple in 2017 and Warzek in 2018.
Darrow returned to his home state of Oklahoma, as he joined Central Oklahoma (Division II) as assistant and pitching coach in the fall of 2019. He led the Bronchos to a 17-3 record before the 2020 season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
UCO’s pitching staff was fourth in the nation with 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings when the season ended, compiling 235 strikeouts while three Broncho pitchers had a 0.00 ERA and 10 hurlers held a sub-4.00 earned run average.
A native of Perkins, Oklahoma, Darrow graduated from Nicholls State University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in general studies. He received his associate’s degree in liberal arts from Labette Community College in 2004.
Darrow and his wife Jessica have three daughters, Rooney, Danni and Merrick.
