Chris Kahler joins the Tigers' staff as the pitching coach after serving in the same role with UMBC during the 2025 season. In his lone season at the helm of the Retrievers' arms, Kahler's pitching staff posted a 5.58 ERA, a 1.74-run improvement from 2024. Prior to that, he served as the team's director of player development in the summer of 2025 after finishing his collegiate playing career at East Carolina in 2024.
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Kahler amassed 39 innings with the Pirates during his senior season, starting six of his 21 appearances. Kahler was a part of several key games throughout his time at ECU, pitching in the Greenville Regional and against teams such as North Carolina, Duke, Campbell, and Tulane. He was a part of a combined no-hitter against Elon during the year, which was the first since 2000 for the Pirates. Kahler helped the Pirates bring an AAC Regular Season Championship back to Greenville. He was also a member of the Pirates' 2024 team that hosted an NCAA Regional as the 16th seed in the country.
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Prior to his time at ECU, Kahler played for three years at George Washington. While at GW, he pitched to a 4.61 ERA in 52 appearances. During the 2023 season, Kahler was a staple for the Colonials' pitching staff. He earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 (A-10) honors, led the conference in WHIP, stood third in the nation with three complete games and yielded hitters to a .241 BAA.
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Kahler studied Interpersonal Communications and graduated Magna Cum Laude from East Carolina in 2024.
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"Kahler did a super job elevating our guys on the mound. We had a bunch of guys who had career years. We pitched it at a much higher level than we had the previous year," noted Coach Bowen. "Being a pitching coach is a young man's game. There are so many things that have happened in the last ten years or so that guys who have first-hand experience can do a better job of getting across to our players. So, he's been a phenomenal fit in that way, and he has a bright future as a pitching coach."
