Pitching maestro that helped orchestrate Wingate University's 2021 NCAA Division II baseball national championship, Dusty White joined the Western Carolina baseball coaching staff in mid-August 2023. White joins the Catamount staff as the program's pitching coach.
Having made a name for himself as a top-level recruiter and a national championship-winning pitching coach over eight seasons at Wingate, White joins the Catamount baseball staff having most recently coached in-state at Campbell, joining the Camels' staff in July 2023.
In the 2024 season, Campbell ranked sixth in the 12-team Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) with 31 victories including 13 saves, fifth-most in the league. The Camels recorded 462 strikeouts as a team including 149 looking, third-most in the CAA. Closer Grant Knipp who tutored under White last season was drafted in the sixth round by the Seattle Mariners in the 2024 MLB Draft, while Cole Peschl was picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round. Campbell starter Derek Vartanian additionally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Braves.
From August 2015 through the 2023 season, White led the pitchers at his alma mater with tremendous results. As a part of the 2021 national title team, the Bulldog pitching staff posted a team ERA of 4.00, which ranked No. 14 in the nation. He helped coordinate Wingate's first NCAA national title and the first in the history of South Atlantic Conference (SAC) baseball. The Bulldogs won the program's seventh SAC Tournament title and first-ever regional championship, advancing to their first Division II World Series.
After dropping its first game in the World Series at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., Wingate rebounded to win five straight games over Top 20 teams to win the championship. The Bulldogs became the first team since 2005 to win the title after an opening-round loss.
Through 22 games in the abbreviated 2020 season, Wingate pitchers combined for a 3.08 team ERA with 199 strikeouts over 190 innings while limiting opponents to a .228 average. The Bulldogs led the SAC and ranked 16th in the nation in ERA before the stoppage. His 2019 staff ranked second in the conference with a 4.30 ERA with two individuals among the league's top five, while the 2018 squad paced the SAC with a 4.59 team ERA.
During his time on staff at Wingate, White helped develop four All-Americans, 14 all-region selections, and 18 combined all-conference honors. He also had seven pitchers either drafted or sign professional baseball contracts.
White earned his coaching start at the On Deck Baseball Academy where he served as a pitching instructor while also coaching a showcase team and acting as the Director of Tournaments and Events. He additionally served as an assistant coach in charge of pitching at Charlotte Latin High School in 2011 before being named an assistant coach at South Mecklenburg High in 2012.
White began his collegiate playing career at Charlotte in 2005 out of Hopewell High. He then transferred to Wingate as a part of the baseball team, earning a degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations in May 2010. As a player, White posted a 3-2 record on Wingate's 2010 South Atlantic Conference regular-season championship team.
Originally from Charlotte, White and his wife, the former Meleah Skeen, have two sons, Nolan and Yates.
