The UTRGV baseball team hired Brian Nelson as an assistant coach on June 29, 2015.
Nelson’s responsibilities in 2017 included working with outfielders and catchers in addition to recruiting. In 2016, Nelson handled the pitchers and catchers while also recruiting.
In his second season with the program, Nelson coached an outfield unit that came up with 15 outfield assists while making just five errors for a .983 fielding percentage. Additionally, Nelson coached the catchers to a combined .987 fielding percentage while nailing 23 would-be base stealers.
In his first season with the program, Nelson helped the pitching staff drop its ERA nearly a full run from 5.41 to 4.55.
This included developing staff ace and sophomore Johnny Gonzalez, who had a 2.83 after posting a 4.01 ERA as a freshman, and fellow sophomore weekend starter Robert Quinoñez, who went from a 4.24 ERA to a 3.74 ERA while lowering his opponents batting average from .279 to .222.
Another sophomore that Nelson helped was George Lamb, who recorded two saves and a 0.82 ERA, striking out 30 in 22 innings. The previous season, Lamb allowed 11 runs without striking out anybody in 6.2 innings.
Nelson also helped to revitalize senior Parker Gallegos, changing his arm angle and his role. Gallegos became one of the team’s most valuable arms out of the bullpen, posting a 3.19 ERA and walking just eight in 31 innings after posting a 5.75 ERA with 28 walks in 51.2 innings as a junior.
Nelson spent the previous two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Lamar, and his impact on Lamar’s pitching staff was felt almost immediately. In his first season with the Cardinals, he helped the pitching staff drop its earned run average (ERA) for 4.07 in 2013 to 3.68. The staff’s ERA in 2014 was the lowest Lamar had seen in a decade.
In his two seasons, Nelson worked with three Major League Baseball draft picks in J.T. Autrey, David Carver, and Collin Chapman. Autrey, who was 1-0 with a 7.24 ERA in 20 appearances in 2013, improved to 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA in the same number of appearances while working with Nelson in 2014. Carver saw his ERA drop from 5.74 to 4.14 as well.
Another beneficiary of the Nelson’s work was left-hander Chase Angelle, who posted a 2.01 ERA in 2015, lowering his career ERA from 3.49 to 2.86.
Nelson played a significant role in the maturation of Danny Fernandez, moving the senior into a starter’s role after he spent his first three years in the bullpen. In 2015, Fernandez accounted for a 4-4 record and a 3.15 ERA.
In his first collegiate stint at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor (UMHB), Nelson primarily worked with pitchers and catchers. During his time there, he helped the Crusader catchers improve in every statistical category while finishing second in the conference in fewest stolen bases allowed.
During the 2012 season, Nelson helped direct Chris Joshlin to the American Southwest Conference batting title and a spot on the ABCA All-Region team.
After UMHB, the Bastrop-native moved on to Brazos Christian High School, where he led the program to a runner-up finish in the 2013 state championship game and coached three All-State players.
Nelson brings a wealth of summer collegiate experience with him as well. He spent the 2012 and 2013 summer seasons with the Brazos Valley Bombers in the Texas Collegiate League (TCL) as an assistant coach. The Bombers put up a record-breaking 2013 season that culminated with Perfect Game awarding the team the summer league national championship.
The 2013 season marked the second-straight year the Bombers won the TCL title, finishing with a 46-14 league-record mark. With Nelson a part of the staff, they amassed an 88-37 record and had 19 TCL All-Stars, 14 Perfect Game top prospects, and seven Baseball America top prospects.
Nelson 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.
Nelson and his wife, Samantha, reside in the Rio Grande Valley.
