On Thursday night, Rutgers baseball’s search for a new pitching coach came to an end.
According to D1baseball’s Kendall Rogers, former William & Mary head coach Mike McRae will become the new pitching coach. After three seasons with the Tribe, McRae will now call Piscataway home.
While McRae’s most recent experience is as a head coach, he was the pitching coach at VCU for four seasons. During his tenure, the Rams’ pitching staff became one of the most dominant in the A-10. In three of his four seasons, they posted a sub-4.00 ERA. In 2018 and 2019, the Rams held opponents to a below .235 batting average.
After finishing the 2023 campaign with a 28-25 record, Rutgers will turn to McRae to fix their pitching staff. The Scarlet Knights struggled on the mound, posting a 5.61 ERA. They also were unable to limit hard contact, allowing 48 home runs and 80 doubles. Only one pitcher in, Justin Sinibaldi, posted an ERA under 4.00.
SCOOP: Former William & Mary head coach Mike McRae will become the new pitching coach for @RutgersBaseball, @d1baseball has learned. McRae had three solid seasons as the head man for the Tribe. Before that, was a successful PC at VCU. That’s a really nice hire for #Rutgers.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 6, 2024
Although McRae has his work cut out for him, he has a track record of success. That will be key for a Rutgers team that was carried by their offense. If McRae can mirror his success from VCU, then Rutgers pitching should experience a needed turnaround.