Former Stetson coach Dunn was born
The trajectory of Stetson baseball was changed on this date in 1948.
Pete Dunn was born on June 26 and would go on to mold the Hatters into a baseball power. He led Stetson to 17 NCAA Tournament berths and nine conference regular-season or tournament championships, including an Atlantic Sun tournament title win during his final season in 2016.
“His baseball intelligence is unmatched,‘’ Stetson infielder Colton Lightner told the Sentinel in 2017. “He did a lot of thinking for us in the dugout, so we are going to have to bring that on our own a little bit.‘’
Junior catcher Austin Hale, who played at Trinity Prep in Winter Park, bonded with Dunn because he played the same position.
“He taught me the mental side of catching and how you have to be authoritative,‘’ Hale said. “You have to be a leader behind the plate because you’re the only one facing that way. You’re the only one looking out, and everyone’s looking at you.‘’
Dunn has been synonymous with Stetson baseball — the one everyone is looking at — since replacing Jim Ward, who left for Eastern Kentucky, and becoming the Hatters’ 23rd head coach.