TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State will not look far for its new leader on the baseball diamond as assistant coach James Cullinane will serve as acting head coach for the 2023 season.

"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to lead the Northeastern State University baseball program," said Cullinane. "I would like to thank President Turner and Director of Athletics John Sisemore for putting their trust in me. The amount of support I have received from the Northeastern State community has been overwhelming. I am eternally grateful and humbled by their faith in me."

Cullinane, for the previous two seasons, served as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for the RiverHawks. He was the architect of an offense that was second nationally in home runs (123), third in triples (28), ninth in stolen bases (130), and eleventh in hits (647).

"For the last two seasons, Coach Cullinane has been vital to NSU baseball's success, and we are excited to have him lead our program," said Director of Athletics John Sisemore.

One of Cullinane's key recruits was Brock Reller, who shattered countless NSU single-season batting marks as a fifth-year transfer, and was the program's second consensus All-American. 

Northeastern State finished runner-up in the MIAA for the previous two seasons and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in its most recent campaign. The RiverHawks went on to win 38 games, its most since 2000, and one shy of tying the all-time program mark. 

A native of San Francisco, Calif., Cullinane was on the coaching staff at Minnesota Crookston for two seasons (2019-20) before arriving in Tahlequah. During that span, UMC posted back-to-back winning seasons and had a 20-15 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). He also played two seasons at Minnesota Crookston and was part of the program's All-Decade Team, and is in the 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 and a Master's degree from the University of North Dakota.