Mike McGuire, who served as the pitching coach at Morehead State in 1995 and 1996, is in his seventh season as head coach of the Eagles. He returned to MSU prior to the 2013 season.
McGuire led Morehead State to historic seasons in 2015 and 2018. The 2015 Eagles posted school records for overall wins (38) and Ohio Valley Conference victories (20). MSU also captured its first league tournament title since 1993 and advanced to NCAA Regional play for the first time since 1983. McGuire was named OVC Coach of the Year.
In 2018, Morehead State finished third in the OVC regular season with an 18-12 mark and went on to defeat nationally-ranked Tennessee Tech twice to win the OVC Tournament title. The Eagles played at the NCAA Clemson Regional.
Following the 2016 season, three Eagle pitchers (Matt Anderson - Pirates; Tyler Keele - Diamondbacks; Pat McGuff - Twins) were drafted in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Two of McGuire's seniors in 2015, Kane Sweeney (Yankees) and Brandon Rawe (Marlins), were chosen in the draft. The Eagles also had players drafted in 2017 (Aaron Leasher - Padres) and 2018 (Niko Hulsizer - Dodgers).
In the seasons 2015-17, Morehead State won more games (106) than each of the other 11 Ohio Valley Conference programs.
In 2014, under McGuire's leadership, Morehead State defeated nationally-ranked Kentucky and Indiana. The Eagles opened the 2015 season with three victories at nationally-ranked San Diego. In 2018, MSU knocked off top-20 Tennessee Tech three times.
The Eagle offense set numerous school single-season and individual records in 2015 and ranked first the nation in five offensive categories. In 2017, the Eagles once again ranked near the top of the NCAA charts, this time leading the country in on-base percentage and scoring.
In 2017, McGuire helped mentored Hulsizer to the OVC record for home runs with 27. In 2018, the MSU pitching staff set the OVC record for strikeouts with 570.
McGuire, who has been in the coaching profession for more than 20 years, previously made stops at Winthrop, Lander (S.C.) and Louisburg (N.C.). He has mentored 20 All-Americans and more than 50 players who signed professional contracts.
McGuire played collegiately at Akron for two seasons before transferring to South Carolina. He participated in two NCAA Regionals as a member of the Gamecocks. He then played two professional seasons for Zanesville (Ohio) in the Frontier League, leading the Greys to the league title in 1993.
He guided the pitchers and catchers at MSU, and helped lead the Eagles to the OVC Tournament title game in 1996.
He served as assistant head coach at Winthrop from 1997-2002, where he helped lead the Eagles to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances and school-record 48 wins in 2001.
McGuire served as head coach at Lander from 2003-05. In his three seasons, the Bearcats averaged more than 30 wins and ranked among Division II’s Top 25 teams. His 2004 squad established a then-school record with 33 wins.
He returned to Winthrop in 2006 as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. The first season of his second stint saw the Eagles post a 46-18 mark and advance to the finals of the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional. In six seasons, he coached single-season and career record holders in nearly every statistical category. While coaching the offensive aspect of the game, his hitters established single-season team marks for hits, home runs and total bases.
McGuire served as head coach at Louisburg in 2012. He led the Hurricanes to a school-record 52 wins and the program’s first-ever No. 1 National Junior College Athletic Association national ranking. Louisburg also constructed a school-record 27-game winning streak.
He received a bachelor’s degree in sports administration from South Carolina and master’s degree in health, physical education and recreation from Morehead State. He and his wife Angela have three daughters, Courtney, Sydney and Sarah.
