Coaching Bio
Darren Munns enters his 10th year as the Columbia College head baseball coach Fall 2025. During his tenure as head coach for the Cougars, Munns has earned an overall record of 311-128. He has coached 52 AMC All-Conference selections, 226 AMC Academic All-Conference recipients, 75 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes, 11 NAIA All-Americans, and two MLB draft selections.
Picking up his third AMC Coach of the Year honor, Munns led the 2025 squad to a program-best winning percentage of 79.6 percent and their highest ranking of No. 20 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Cougars achieved a 43-11 overall record (highest win total in program history) and a 31-5 AMC record, finishing as co-champions in the AMC regular season. Columbia qualified for the NAIA National Tournament for the sixth consecutive season and reached the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round Championship Game for the third consecutive season. Two Cougars were named NAIA All-Americans as Brayden McGinnis achieved First Team All-American status, while Tyler Renn earned Third Team All-American honors. McGinnis also picked up AMC Player of the Year honors while being named to the AMC Gold Glove Team. Hunter Hees was named AMC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Ten members were named to the All-Conference team, while there were 10 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes, 37 Academic All-AMC selections, five Academic All-District® honorees, and two Academic All-America® recipients.
During the 2024 season, the Cougars made a run to their second-straight NAIA National Tournament Opening Round Championship Game and their fifth NAIA Championship venture in program history. With that, Columbia deemed one of 12 NAIA programs to appear in each of the past five National Tournaments. Columbia posted a 39-16 overall record while putting up a program-best 17-game winning streak, accumulating a 19-2 record in the AMC. The squad finished runner-up in the AMC regular season. The team had a record setting year with 638 hits, 105 home runs, a 63.8 slugging percentage and an 89.7 stolen base percentage. Individually, the Cougars named two NAIA All-Americans, Cayden Nicoletto and Indy Stanley. Nicoletto was named AMC Player of the Year and became the program leader and third-best in the NAIA with 27 home runs, 81 RBI, and 87 hits. AMC Pitcher of the Year, Dan Fick also went a perfect 10-0 on the mound. As the second player in program history, Columbia's Brayden McGinnis was named to the ABCA-Rawlings NAIA Baseball Gold Glove Team. The Cougars placed 10 on the All-Conference Teams, 37 Academic All-Conference selections, 12 NAIA Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athletes, three Academic All-District® honorees, and one Academic All-America® selection.
In 2023, Columbia claimed their second-ever AMC Tournament title, staying undefeated through tournament action. The Cougars posted a 40-15 overall record, while producing a 17-4 AMC record. Columbia accumulated a program-best of 411 strikeouts, 13 saves, and a fielding percentage of nearly 98 percent. On the mound, Jake Deakins set the program record with a 1.44 ERA. Cayden Nicoletto earned Second Team NAIA All-American status and AMC Newcomer of the Year honors while Tyler Renn was awarded co-AMC Position Player of the Year and named to the Gold Glove Team. The Cougars added 11 on the AMC All-Conference team, 33 Academic All-AMC, 12 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes, four Academic All-District® honorees, and one Academic All-America® selection.
During the 2022 campaign, Munns carried the Cougars to a 38-14 season record and 15-6 in the AMC. There were six student athletes that were named to the All-Conference teams, three named to the Golden Glove Team, 36 Academic All-AMC honorees, and 16 NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes. Individually, Indy Stanley picked up Second Team NAIA All-American honors while also being named AMC Newcomer of the Year. The Cougars also broke the school record with 27 triples during the season. After finishing runner-up at the AMC Tournament, Columbia earned an at-large bid to the NAIA Opening Round in Upland, Ind.
In 2021, the Cougars finished the season with an overall record of 37-11, which was the 11th-best winning percentage in the country. Darren Munns was named AMC Coach of the Year after CC won the AMC regular season title and the AMC Tournament Championship posting a 22-6 record. Columbia defeated Missouri Baptist University in the AMC Tournament Finals to claim their first AMC Tournament title. The Cougars advanced to the NAIA Opening Round hosted in Marion, Ind. Chris Wall set several program records on the mound with 11 wins, 138 strikeouts, three shutouts, and seven complete games in a season, while also adding one no-hitter. Three Cougars earned NAIA All-American honors in Kenny Piper (1st Team), Dalton Bealmer (2nd Team), and Chris Wall (2nd Team). Bealmer was also named AMC Player of the Year, while Chris Wall was named AMC Pitcher of the Year. As a team, 10 made the Academic All-Conference list, eight earned All-Conference honors, one named CoSIDA Academic All-District and CoSIDA Academic All-America, and ten picked NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors.
