Under the direction of Gary Burns, Rockhurst University has become one of the top collegiate programs in the country over the past 16 seasons.

Burns rebuilt the program in 1994 after Rockhurst had gone 18 years without a baseball program. The Hawks won 28 games in their first season under Burns, who has gone on to compile a 517-344 record (.600 winning percentage).

He has led the Hawks to 11 post-season appearances, including five berths in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.

In 1999, Rockhurst captured the NCAA Central Regional and finished fourth at the NCAA Division II Championships in Montgomery, Ala.

The Hawks went back to the NCAA regionals in 2000 and 2003, losing to Central Missouri State in the regional finals both times. In 2004, Burns was named the Coach of the Year in the Heartland Conference as he guided the Hawks to the conference tournament championship.

Rockhurst finished third in its first season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2006 and earned a berth in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. The Hawks finished second in the GLVC West and went to the NCAA Midwest Regional in 2009.

Burns, who was a former pitcher, works closely with his pitching staff. Jonathan Krysa was a two-time All-American in 1999 and 2000, while Logan McElwain was a third team All-American in 2006.

Rockhurst's players have also succeeded in the classroom as the Hawks have graduated 91 percent of their players since '94.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Rockhurst, Burns was an assistant coach at Indiana State (1982-85), Vanderbilt (1985-91) and Clemson (1991-92).

A 1981 graduate of Vanderbilt University, Burns posted a 9-3 record with four saves and was the ace reliever on Vandy’s 1980 SEC championship team. He also played two seasons at Johnson County Community College. He had a 17-5 record with back-to-back ERAs of 1.16 and 1.92.

Burns and his wife, Janet, live in Leawood, Kan., with their 10-year-old twin sons, Jim and Jack.