CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Queens University of Charlotte head baseball coach Jake Hendrick is excited to announce the addition of James Cullinane to his staff as the associate head coach and hitting coach. Cullinane comes to the Queen City after serving as the head coach at Northeastern State University last season.
 
"James joining me at Queens instantly elevates the baseball program to another level," said Hendrick. "He is an excellent hitting coach and I have watched him take numerous good players and turn them into great players. He is a tireless worker who absolutely makes the growth and development of players a priority. It will not take long for our players to realize how lucky they are that he is at Queens."
 
The San Francisco, California native stepped into a head coaching role for the River Hawks last season following the departure of Hendricks to Austin Peay. In his inaugural season, Northeastern State posted a 25-28 overall record while tying their program best with a third-place finish in the MIAA Tournament. The River Hawks landed nine All-MIAA selections, one All-Central Region selection, and one All-MIAA Tournament selection. The program handled its business in the classroom with a 3.16 cumulative GPA.
 
Prior to leading the squad, Cullinane was the hitting coach for the River Hawks from 2021-2023. In that span, the River Hawks set program records in doubles, triples, home runs, runs scored, slugging percentage, and stolen bases. In 2022, Northeastern State was the only Division 2 program, one of two programs across the entire NCAA to hit 120 doubles and 120 home runs while swiping 130 bases. The 123 home runs during that season were an MIAA single-season record. One of Cullinane's recruits Brock Reller shattered countless NSU single-season batting marks en route to earning the program's second consensus All-American nod.
 
Cullinane broke into the coaching realm in 2018 as the assistant hitting coach at the University of Minnesota Crookston. Following one season as the assistant, Cullinane was promoted to the lead hitting coach. In 2020, the Golden Eagles were one of the most prolific offenses across Division 2. UMC ranked 19^th in the country sporting a .324 batting average and the 14th-highest slugging percentage at .527. The Golden Eagles flooded the base paths with a .415 on-base percentage, the 28^th best in the country. Under Cullinane's oversight, the Golden Eagles tripled their on-base plus slugging percentage to .942, the 13^th best nationwide.
 
Prior to coaching, Cullinane played two seasons at Minnesota Crookston and was a part of the program's All-Decade Team as he ranks top 10 in four offensive categories. Before transferring to Minnesota Crookston, Cullinane spent two seasons at the City College of San Francisco. He earned his degree from the University of Minnesota Crookston in 2018.
 
"I am very excited to join the staff at Queens University," said Cullinane. "The opportunity to work with Jake again and build a program together was a goal of mine. I cannot wait to move to Charlotte and get to work."
 
The Royals are coming off their first Division 1 season going 17-38 overall and 9-21 in league play. Queens embarked on a challenging schedule that featured outings against #23 South Carolina, #12 East Carolina, #15 FGCU, and #13 North Carolina. The Royals produced the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Second Team All-Conference standout, Riley Cheek. Two Royals were named ASUN All-Academic Team in the classroom while five landed College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition.
 
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