A veteran of college baseball, Mike McRae is set for his second season at Rutgers in 2026 as the associate head coach/pitching coach in 2025 after joining the program in July 2024.
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.
The 2025 season saw McRae rebuild the RU pitching staff from near-scratch, with the team replacing all three weekend starters and a majority of bullpen arms. The season saw freshman pitch 61.3 percent of the team's total innings, including 29-of-40 (72.5 percent) of the team's weekend starts. Additionally, 91.6 percent of the team's innings came from pitchers who had not previously pitched for Rutgers. Despite the lack of experience, McRae was able to develop a crop of young arms who emerged as key players for a team that produced a fourth consecutive winning season and a postseason victory in the Big Ten Tournament. Landon Mack led RU starters with a 4.03 ERA and was named Freshman All-America by multiple outlets. Out of the bullpen, true freshman Nolan Peel posted eight straight appearances with two-plus innings pitched and one-or-fewer runs allowed. Of his 14 appearances, five were multiple innings with no runs and 12 were one-or-fewer runs allowed. Charles Batista (2.16 ERA), Matthew Cruz (2.84) and Luke Fithian (3.93) represent three more true freshman who made the most out of their early opportunities for the Scarlet Knights.
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 in conference. He earned MAAC Coach of the Year in 2003.
McRae began his Division I coaching career as an assistant at Niagara in 1996, working with the Purple Eagles for two seasons before taking a job as an assistant at Winthrop in 1998. He then served an assistant for the three seasons at Maine from 1999-2001 before taking the head job at Niagara.
In addition to his collegiate experience, McRae coached the Canadian Youth National Team at the 1996 and 1997 World Championships. He served as a guest coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in spring training in 1997. He also coached Team USA’s 16U program in 2019.
A native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, McRae graduated from Colby College in 1991, where he played baseball and hockey for the Mules. He also received a master’s degree from Niagara in 1993. McRae has a daughter, Madison, and a son, Mason.
