Bryan/College Station, Texas – April 4, 2018 - The Bombers are thrilled to announce that former assistant coach, Brian Nelson, has been chosen to lead the Bombers as their new Head Coach for the upcoming 2018 season. 

Coach Nelson brings to the Bombers a wealth of coaching experience, most recently serving as Assistant Head Coach for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley baseball team. In his first season, serving as pitching coach, he improved the UTRGV Vaqueros team earned run average (ERA) nearly 2 runs from 7.00 in 2015 to 5.18 in 2016. His pitching staff finished in the top 3 of nearly every pitching statistic in the Western Athletic Conference. Nelson shifted roles on the field in 201 toward helping run the Vaquero offense that significantly improved from the year before and working with the outfielders and catchers.

Before UTRGV, Nelson spent time as the assistant coach with Lamar University. His impact on Lamar’s pitching staff was felt almost immediately. In his first season with the Cardinals, he helped the pitching staff drop the team ERA from 4.07 in 2013 to 3.68, the lowest Lamar had seen in a decade. In his first collegiate stint at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, Nelson primarily worked with pitchers and catchers; he helped the Crusader catchers improve in every statistical category while finishing second in the conference in stolen bases allowed.

Coach Nelson has a long history with the Bombers. Most recently, he served as an assistant under Curt Dixon in 2012 and 2013. In their second season, 2013, the Bombers laid claim to their first Texas Collegiate League Championship and were crowned National Champions by Perfect Game. With Nelson a part of the staff, the Bombers amassed an 88-37 record, had 19 TCL All-Stars, 14 Perfect Game top prospects, and seven Baseball America top prospects. During his Bombers career, Nelson has seen 15 players drafted or signed into professional baseball.

“Coming back to Bryan/College Station, and re-joining the Bombers, feels like coming back home. I am extremely honored and grateful for this opportunity; the Bombers are very special to this community and to me. I’m eager and hungry to go compete for another Texas Collegiate League Championship,” Nelson said.

Coach Nelson’s career with the Bombers actually began in 2008 when he was a catcher on that summer’s playoff team. Out of high school he attended the Air Force Academy to play both baseball and football, but shoulder surgeries cut his career short. He transferred to Texas A&M, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management before earning his master’s degree in business administration from Sam Houston State University.

Coach Nelson and his wife, Samantha, now reside in the Brazos Valley with their daughter Sloan. Join Coach Nelson and the team as they look to win their sixth championship in a row. The 2018 Season will begin Memorial Day weekend with the official Texas Collegiate League schedule to be released this week.

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