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| Bryce Darnell was named
the third head baseball coach in Missouri Southern baseball history on May 22,
2007.
Darnell succeeds coach Warren Turner who retired after 31 years at Southern, including 852 wins and two NCAA Division II College World Series appearances. A 1997 graduate of Missouri Southern, Darnell has been the head baseball coach at Webb City High School the past eight years, while also teaching social studies at the school. His baseball teams at Webb City have won the last two Missouri Class 3 State Championships. A three-year player for the Lions from 1994-1996, Darnell transferred to Southern after a year at the University of Minnesota. A Brooklyn Center, Minn. native, Darnell was a three-sport athlete at BCHS being named all-state in baseball and football, as well as all-conference in basketball. Darnell played for his father, Doug, at BCHS. Doug Darnell was also the Athletic Director at BCHS. Darnell hit .436 in 30 games as a sophomore for the Lions in 1994, which is the sixth highest batting average in a season at Southern. He was named honorable mention All-MIAA that year. He had his best season in 1995, helping the Lions to a 43-13 record, including a 17-3 mark in MIAA play. He hit .364 that year with 13 doubles, three homers and 47 RBIs en route to being named first-team all-region and all-MIAA. The Lions were second in the MIAA Postseason Tournament and made an appearance in the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament. Darnell's senior season saw the catcher hit .339 with 20 doubles, four homers and 48 RBIs in 55 games. The 20 doubles is fifth all-time in a season at Southern. He was named honorable mention all-MIAA that year. Darnell was drafted after his junior season in the 40th round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He was later drafted after his senior season in the 58th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in 1996 for the Visalia Oaks, a single A affiliate of the Diamondbacks. Darnell's .577 on base percentage as a sophomore
ranks third in a season, while his .996 fielding percentage (1 error) in 1995 is
second all-time. He ranks seventh in career doubles with 40, while ranking sixth
in batting average (.366) and seventh in fielding percentage Darnell has amassed a 160-43 career record at Webb City, including two state championships. He was the Joplin Globe Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005, while being named the Missouri Class 3 Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2006. He holds a degree in Secondary Education from Missouri Southern (1997), as well as a Masters in Educational Administration from Missouri State University (2000). Darnell has a wife, Pamela and two children,
Darcy (5), and Cy (2).
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