Pitching Coach Darryl Morhardt joins the Newport Gulls staff for the 2016 season, bringing nearly two decades of experience coaching in the NECBL with him. He is taking the place of Kevin Long, Newport's pitching coach from 2011-2015, who is taking the summer off for personal reasons.

Morhardt's experience in the NECBL dates back to 1997, when he joined the Torrington Twisters staff as their pitching coach, a title he woud retain through the 2006 season. In 2008, he was named the manager of the Holyoke Blue Sox - later known as the Valley Blue Sox - and served in that capcity through 2014.

Beyond the NECBL, the Winsted, Connecticut native has coached in various roles for the University of Hartford, Gateway Community College, Western Connecticut State, Marietta College, The George Washington University, and Fairleigh Dickinson University. While serving as pitching coach at Marietta, the team made three Division III World Series appearances, including finishes as national runner-up in 2001 and 2002.

A graduate of Coastal Carolina University, Morhardt played professionally from 1985-87, including a season with the Atlanta Braves Class A affiliate. Among his numerous roles in baseball, he has also worked as a scout, including time with the New York Mets as an associate scout from 1997-2002.

Morhardt's father, Moe, played Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs from 1961-62, and was head coach of the NECBL's Danbury Westerners from 1998-2004.