WAYNESBURG, Pa. (June 22) – For the first time since 2005, the Waynesburg University baseball team will have new man at the helm. However, it won't be an unfamiliar face.
After 16 years as head coach, Mike Humiston will step away from the dugout to turn his full attention to his duties as Waynesburg's Director of the Department of Public Safety.
Long-time assistant coach and director of baseball strength and conditioning Perry Cunningham has been promoted to the top spot on the bench after 14 years with the program. Cunningham sports an impressive baseball resume that includes a long and very successful stint in the independent Frontier Baseball League.
After spending 2003 in the Northeast League as a member of the Allentown Ambassadors, Cunningham was signed by the Chillicothe (Ohio) Paints of the Frontier League. From 2004 to 2007, the Steubenville, Ohio, native enjoyed one of the finest careers ever by a Frontier League pitcher. He compiled a career record of 37-21, with a career 3.54 ERA over 497.2 innings pitched and 78 starts. At the time of his retirement from baseball, Cunningham ranked second in league history in wins (37), starts (76) and innings pitched (497.2).
While with the Paints, Cunningham also gave individual and small group instruction at Triple Crown Sports in Chilicothe for two years.
Prior to his work in the minor leagues, Cunningham was a three-time All-West Virginia Interscholastic Athletic Conference (WVIAC) selection while competing at Davis & Elkins College. As a senior, he was named WVIAC Pitcher of the Year and Davis & Elkins College Male Athlete of the Year.
"I want to thank President Douglas G. Lee, Provost Dana Cook Baer, J.D. and Director of Athletics Adam Jack for this opportunity," Cunningham said. "I truly appreciate them putting their trust in me to lead the Waynesburg baseball program and playing a bigger role in the lives of our players on and off the field."
Cunningham's coaching career began in 2004 as a volunteer assistant at D&E. The following season, he coached at Liberty High School in Bealeton, Virginia, before coming to Waynesburg before the 2008 campaign.
"We are very fortunate to have a coach like Perry Cunningham positioned to lead the baseball program," Jack said. "As impressive as Perry's baseball playing and coaching resume is, I am most excited about his mentoring of student-athletes, as he will foster an atmosphere of growth and excellence for years to come."
Cunnningham graduated from D&E with a degree in exercise science and added an MBA from Waynesburg in the Fall of 2009. He is a 1999 graduate of Steubenville High Shool and currently resides in Waynesburg with his wife Pam and their sons Cooper and Cade. Pam and Perry are the proud owners of Back Roads Energy.
"Baseball has always been a part of my life. Once my playing days concluded, I didn't know if I'd still be around baseball. But when we moved to Waynesburg, Coach Humiston welcomed me into the program," Cunningham said. "When you've been involved with the game for as long as I have, I think you always want to know how you'd handle being the head coach. I'm excited to add some of my own touches to the program."
Cunningham expressed his gratitude to his former baseball boss for bringing him into the Waynesburg baseball fold over a decade ago. While he plans on making his own impression on the Jackets going forward, the Jackets' newest head coach will continue to foster many of the same values that Humiston has preached on the diamond.
"Coach Hum created a family atmosphere," Cunningham said. "There was an unwavering message that academics come first. He and I always talked about the rewarding part of seeing teenage freshmen turn into educated, independent young men who grow in all of the different aspects of life. Those will continue to be cornerstones for our program."