O’Sullivan, Hampton Added to Baseball Staff

September 1, 1998

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson Head Baseball Coach Jack Leggett announced the addition of Kevin O’Sullivan and Mike Hampton to the coaching staff on Tuesday, September 1, 1998.

O’Sullivan, who comes from the Minnesota Twins’ Rookie League team, will be the Pitching Coach. He replaces John Pawlowski, who was named the pitching coach at Arizona State in August. O’Sullivan graduated from Virginia with a bachelor of science degree (with honors) in education/sports medicine in 1991. In 1995, O’Sullivan received a masters degree in exercise science and wellness from Florida Atlantic University.

O’Sullivan was an assistant coach at Florida Community College (Jacksonville) in 1993, serving as the hitting and catching instructor. The next two seasons, the native of Jupiter, FL was an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic. In 1996 and 1997, O’Sullivan was the pitching coach at Virginia, where he coached the ’96 ACC Champions and first round draft pick Seth Greisenger. In the two seasons in Charlottesville, he coached a total of three pitchers that were picked in the first five rounds of the Major League draft. O’Sullivan served as the pitching coach for the Twins’ Rookie League team, Fort Myers (FL), in 1998. He was also named the Manager-of-the-Year in both the ’96 Valley League season and the ’97 Cape Cod League season.

Hampton, who lettered at Clemson in 1993 and 1994, will replace Kevin Erminio as the volunteer coach. Hampton will work with the catchers, hitters, and baserunners. The native of Colorado Springs, CO, played third base on two ACC Championship teams at Clemson. He was a First-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball in 1994, as he hit .380 with 11 homers, 21 doubles, 70 RBIs, and 39 stolen bases. He was a fourth round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the ’94 June draft and was a 1997 Midwest League (A) All-Star selection.

“We feel like we have two great additions to our coaching staff in Kevin O’Sullivan and Mike Hampton,” says Leggett. “Kevin is a very highly respected pitching coach and already has had some great success. He’s very knowledgeable and competitive, and I think our kids will draw a great deal from his experience and enthusiasm. Our goals will always be to provide great pitching instruction for our players and we have filled our needs in that area with one of the best young coaches in the country.”

“We are also very excited about what Mike Hampton will add to our program. He knows our system, has some great college and pro experience, and communicates very well. The players are very excited about our two new coaches and the season ahead.”