PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball head coach Steve Owens announced the hiring of Mike McRae as the program’s pitching coach and associate head coach on Wednesday.
McRae is an established veteran of college baseball who brings over 25 years of Division I experience to the Scarlet Knights, having most recently served as the head coach at William & Mary from 2022-24.
“Mike is an outstanding baseball coach who has recruited talented players and developed winning programs for many years,” Owens said. “He will be responsible for all aspects of our pitching staff where he has had tremendous success. We are excited about his addition to our coaching staff and look forward to the impact he will have on our players.”
“I am extremely excited to join a high-level staff at an amazing institution of higher learning, as Rutgers enters the first year in the new Big Ten,” McRae said. “I cannot wait to serve a great group of players and be transformational in their quest to improve.”
In his time in Williamsburg, McRae led the Tribe to three straight winning seasons and three consecutive appearances in the CAA Tournament. William & Mary’s pitching staff posted an ERA of 4.39 during his tenure, which ranked second in the CAA in that timespan. In each of his three seasons, a Tribe player received a player of the year honor from the conference, highlighted by 2024 CAA Pitcher of the Year Nate Knowles, who posted an 8-3 record with a 2.48 ERA, 112 strikeouts and a .178 batting average against in 80 innings of work.
Prior to his stint at William & Mary, McRae served as the pitching coach at VCU from 2018-21. With the Rams, McRae helped the program win the A-10 Tournament championship in 2021 and mentored six pitchers who went on to play in MLB organizations. VCU posted a team ERA under 4.00 in three of McRae’s four seasons as pitching coach.
Before VCU, McRae had a decorated 13-year career as the head coach at Canisius. where he was named MAAC Coach of the Year in 2008, 2010 and 2014. Prior to his arrival, the Golden Griffins won just four games apiece from 2002-04. He went on to lead Canisius to 11 straight appearances in the MAAC tournament, three regular season titles and two tournament championships with two NCAA Regional appearances.
McRae’s first head coaching job came at Niagara, where he led the Purple Eagles to a 14-win improvement from year one to year two, finishing with back-to-back appearances in the MAAC Tournament and a 41-36 record…
McRae is an established veteran of college baseball who brings over 25 years of Division I experience to the Scarlet Knights, having most recently served as the head coach at William & Mary from 2022-24.
“Mike is an outstanding baseball coach who has recruited talented players and developed winning programs for many years,” Owens said. “He will be responsible for all aspects of our pitching staff where he has had tremendous success. We are excited about his addition to our coaching staff and look forward to the impact he will have on our players.”
“I am extremely excited to join a high-level staff at an amazing institution of higher learning, as Rutgers enters the first year in the new Big Ten,” McRae said. “I cannot wait to serve a great group of players and be transformational in their quest to improve.”
In his time in Williamsburg, McRae led the Tribe to three straight winning seasons and three consecutive appearances in the CAA Tournament. William & Mary’s pitching staff posted an ERA of 4.39 during his tenure, which ranked second in the CAA in that timespan. In each of his three seasons, a Tribe player received a player of the year honor from the conference, highlighted by 2024 CAA Pitcher of the Year Nate Knowles, who posted an 8-3 record with a 2.48 ERA, 112 strikeouts and a .178 batting average against in 80 innings of work.
Prior to his stint at William & Mary, McRae served as the pitching coach at VCU from 2018-21. With the Rams, McRae helped the program win the A-10 Tournament championship in 2021 and mentored six pitchers who went on to play in MLB organizations. VCU posted a team ERA under 4.00 in three of McRae’s four seasons as pitching coach.
Before VCU, McRae had a decorated 13-year career as the head coach at Canisius. where he was named MAAC Coach of the Year in 2008, 2010 and 2014. Prior to his arrival, the Golden Griffins won just four games apiece from 2002-04. He went on to lead Canisius to 11 straight appearances in the MAAC tournament, three regular season titles and two tournament championships with two NCAA Regional appearances.
McRae’s first head coaching job came at Niagara, where he led the Purple Eagles to a 14-win improvement from year one to year two, finishing with back-to-back appearances in the MAAC Tournament and a 41-36 record…
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