Mitch Gaspard has made an impact hire in his first major move as Alabama’s head coach. Gaspard, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach when Jim Wells retired last week, hired Kyle Bunn as the Crimson Tide’s new pitching coach Wednesday. Bunn spent the last two years at Clemson, where his pitching staff ranked fifth in the nation in ERA (3.68) in 2009. Prior to that, he spent six years at Mississippi under Mike Bianco.

“Obviously when we started this search, Kyle was our number one target from the outset,” Gaspard said. “We loved his style; he has a great mentality and a great knowledge of pitching, and his development of pitchers is obvious.

“Kyle is a dynamic recruiter. What he is going to give us is an opportunity to really go after the elite arms in the country, and he did a very impressive presentation for us, showing us how he goes about getting those top arms in the country. I know he is a relentless worker, and he’s the perfect fit for us."