Julius McDougal was promoted to assistant coach/recruiting coordinator in the summer of 2018. He first joined the EKU baseball program in the summer of 2017 as the program's volunteer assistant.
McDougal now serves as the program’s recruiting coordinator, infield coach and assistant hitting coach.
McDougal helped Eastern start the 2020 season 12-2, including a Friday night win at No. 11 LSU, before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the season ended, the Colonels were receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll.
Catcher A.J. Lewis and second baseman Daniel Harris IV earned All-America honors. Lewis signed a free agent contract with the Colorado Rockies. As a team, EKU was 10th in the nation in on-base percentage, 12th in batting average (.314), 13th in doubles, 14th in slugging and 15th in scoring (8.4 runs/game).
“I am excited to have Julius into the role of recruiting coordinator,” Thompson said. “His background as a head coach made him stand out for the role. He’s organized and can handle a lot at one time. He will again work with our hitters and coach the infielders. Julius has outstanding knowledge, passion and work ethic. He is one of the top young coaches in college baseball and I’m excited to see what he will do in this role.”
In 2019, the Colonels posted a second straight 30-win season for the first time since 1999 and 2000. EKU’s 16 conference wins in 2019 were the most for the program since 2013. The Colonels’ seven conference series victories in 2019 were the most for the program since 2012.
In 2018, McDougal served as defensive coordinator, camp coordinator, coached infielders, coordinated the base running and bunting program and worked with hitters. He also assisted in the team's recruiting efforts. McDougal helped the Colonels win 30 games and advance to the final three at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Eastern upset two nationally ranked teams in 2018 – beating No. 15 Virginia, 7-6, and No. 11 Vanderbilt, 6-5.
McDougal spent two seasons (2016 & 2017) as the head coach at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He led Stillman to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) regular season conference championship in 2016. The Tigers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and advanced to the finals. He had five players sign pro contracts.
McDougal served as an assistant coach at Stillman during the 2015 season and at Kentucky State University during the 2014 season.
McDougal played collegiate baseball at Claflin University in South Carolina. In 2010 he was chosen to the all-conference team after hitting .416, which was ranked 53rd in the country. He was also chosen as the defensive player of the year in 2011.
McDougal earned a bachelor’s of science degree in marketing from Claflin in 2012. He completed a master’s of business administration at the University of Alabama in 2016.
