PVAMU'S CULLIVAN NAMED INTERIM HEAD BASEBALL COACH

PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS (July 1, 2008) PVAMU Assistant Baseball Coach Waskyla Cullivan has been named interim head baseball coach following the resignation of former head coach Michael Robertson. The change was effective June 23, 2008.

Robertson concludes his career as the Panthers head coach with a 163-170 overall record. During his tenure, he led Prairie View A&M to their first Southwestern Athletic Conference championship in school history and back-to-back SWAC titles (2006, 2007). Overall, Prairie View A&M made four consecutive appearances in the SWAC’s title game, finishing as the conference’s runner-up in 2005 and 2008.

“Prairie View A&M University and the Athletics department is extremely thankful for the contributions Michael Robertson has made to our program over the past six seasons,” said Interim Athletics Director Fred Washington. “Our baseball program has enjoyed a lot of success under his direction and we’re excited about the opportunity to build upon those successes with Coach Cullivan at the helm of our program this year.”

Cullivan takes over the Panthers baseball program after serving eight years as an assistant coach at the high school and collegiate levels. During the 2001-2002 season, he joined Robertson’s staff at Forest Brook High School in Houston, where he helped develop one of the top baseball programs in the state.

In 2002, the Jaguars went to the Class 4A state tournament, which marked the first time since integration in Texas, that a predominately black high school had reached the state tournament.

On the collegiate level, Cullivan arrived at Prairie View A&M in 2003 with former Coach Robertson and was a major part of the development of the teams that won titles in 2006 and 2007. As the primary recruiting liason his efforts brought to Panther baseball three players that were subsequently drafted into Major League Baseballs’ First-Year Player Draft.

“I’ve learned a lot serving as an assistant coach under Coach Robertson over the past eight years,” said Cullivan. “I feel my prior coaching experience will ease my transition into becoming a head coach. Overall I’m extremely excited about the opportunity Mr. Washington has given me.”

A native of Ville Platte, La., Cullivan is a 2000 graduate of Prairie View A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance.