SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State baseball alum Grant Kukuk returns to the dugout where he shined as a pitcher for the Hornets, named the program's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator on Friday as announced by Head Coach Reggie Christiansen.
"I'm excited to have Grant back in the green and gold," Christiansen said. "He bleeds Hornet Baseball and will do an outstanding job of developing our pitching staff as well as recruiting the next wave of great Hornet pitchers."
A two-year letter winner for Sacramento State from 2015-16, Kukuk (pronounced COO-kuk) is reunited with his former mentor following stops as an assistant at the College of Southern Idaho, Cal State East Bay, Western Athletic Conference rival Utah Valley, and local foe Pacific.
"I'm incredibly honored and excited to be named the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Sacramento State — my alma mater and a place that means so much to my family and I," Kukuk said. "This program helped shape me both on and off the field, and it's a privilege to now have that opportunity to give back.
"I'm especially grateful to Coach Reggie Christiansen, who's been a mentor of mine throughout my career. I look forward to working alongside him and the rest of the staff as we continue to build on the rich history of winning, producing Major League players, and developing student-athletes here at Sacramento State."
Last season with the Tigers, three of his charges ranked among the top 10 in the West Coast Conference in fewest walks allowed and mentored a staff that had its collective ERA lowered by more than 1.5 runs from the end of 2024 to the end of 2025.
At the end of the season, right-hander Jakob Guardado signed with the Los Angeles Angels — the third pitcher in his four years as a coach at the Division I level to go on to either sign with or be drafted by a Major League Baseball club.
Prior to his arrival in Stockton, Kukuk guided the pitching staff at Utah Valley from 2022-24, helping the Wolverine staff set the school's single-season record for strikeouts (480) in his second year while also lowering the team ERA by more than a run and reducing the team's walks per 9 innings from 5.3 to 4.2. He saw improved the team's strikeouts per nine rate from 6.3 to 8.8 and the staff's strikeout to walk ratio from 1.29 to 2.06.
During his time in Orem, right-hander Casey Anderson led the WAC in strikeouts as a junior and was drafted in the 11th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks while right-hander Mitch Mueller signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins following the 2024 campaign.
Following a pair of seasons as an assistant coach at the College of Southern Idaho, Kukuk continued his coaching career in 2018 at Cal State East Bay, serving as the program's pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. During his three seasons with the Pioneers, Kukuk helped deflate the Pitching Staff's ERA from a near six down to a 4.44 ERA in 2020 which was the program's lowest since 2015.
He also helped Cal State East Bay get off to their best start in program history with a 10-2 record in 2020.
While at CSI, he helped the Golden Eagles to a 50-win season in 2017, conference and regional championships, and a a trip to the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., finishing third. His 2017 squad also excelled in the classroom as CSI boasted the second-highest grade point average of any junior college team in the country.
Outside of the collegiate ranks, Kukuk has also served as an assistant coach during the summer for the Yakima Valley Pippins in the West Coast League and the Neptune Beach Pearl in the California Collegiate Summer League.
A native of Reno, Nev., Kukuk appeared in 33 games as a starter and reliever for the Hornets, finishing with a 7-7 overall record and a 4.67 ERA while helping Sacramento State to a pair of WAC Tournament berths. After pitching 17 games (25.1 innings) as a reliever in 2015, Kukuk started 13 games as a senior in 2016, winning five games while pitching 82.2 innings and ranking No. 45 in the NCAA in 1.52 walks per nine innings.
In two seasons as a student-athlete at the College of Southern Idaho, Kukuk was an All-Scenic West Conference second team selection during his time at CSI, including a 4-4 record with a 2.90 ERA and a save as a sophomore, striking out 49 against only six walks in 62 innings.
He was a four-year letter winner at Reno HS, earning first-team all-state honors in 2012 and picking up a pair of All-North League first team selections. An All-Northern Nevada first-team pitcher in 2011, Kukuk also played in the outfield and was the Northern Nevada Offensive Player of the Year in 2012.
Kukuk graduated from Sacramento State with a degree in communications in 2016 and earned his master's degree in human resource development from Idaho State in 2018 while coaching at the College of Southern Idaho.
Kukuk and his wife, Sam Duran-Kukuk, reside in Elk Grove, Calif., and have a son, Garrett. Sam is entering her second season as the head coach of the University of the Pacific softball program and was a four-year softball letter winner at UCLA from 2011-15, helping the Bruins to four NCAA regional appearances, a pair of super regional berths, and a trip to the College World Series as a senior.
