MacKinnon new head coach at McPherson College
McPherson, Kan. – This is a success story which has reached the peak ... for now.
The McPherson Bulldogs associate head coach and hitting coach, Kyle MacKinnon will replace Dr. Bryan Moses, as head coach. MacKinnon (Cheltenham, Ont.) is a former Ontario Blue Jays coach, who cut his teeth playing for Sam Dempster’s dominant Durham Lords program, catching for three seasons at Durham, leading the Lords to two conference titles and a pair of National Championship final four berths.
He coached the Brampton Royals to a national title ... beating Josh Naylor’s (Mississauga Ont.) and the powerful Mississauga North Tigers. MacKinnon then joined the staff of the Ontario Blue Jays, one of a premier travel teams in Canada. Then, he joined the Bulldog program in 2016 as hitting coach, arriving from Durham.
He held several coaching roles over a span of seven years with the Ontario Blue Jays, spending time as the assistant coach, the hitting coach, and a head coach of the 16U team.
He served as head coach at George Brown College from 2012-14 and led the Huskies to their first post-season tourney. MacKinnon was GM and manager of the Burlington Bandits of Intercounty League for two summers, earning manager of the year honors in 2015.
MacKinnon spent summers working with some of the elite summer college programs in the U.S. and Canada including the Medicine Hat Mavericks (2016), the Fort McMurray Giants (2017), the Brooks Bombers (2018-19), in the Western Canada League, the Mandan Flickertails (2020), and this past summer with the Macon Bacon of the Coastal Plains League.
He celebrated by watching his former charge RHP Jordan Balazovic (Mississauga, Ont.) start for the Wichita Wind Surge Thursday night against the Midland Rockhounds in Double A play. Balazovic pitched 4 2/3 innings allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks. He received a no decision as Midland won 13-12 in extras before 4,203 fans at Riverfront Stadium.
“It is an honor to be named the new head coach of the McPherson College program, said MacKinnon. “I would like to thank the director of athletics, Chandler Short and the rest of the McPherson College administration for this opportunity. Coach Moses needs a big thank you for turning this program around and creating national recognition in his five year tenure.
“I am excited to continue to build on the previous successes we have had with the players and coaching staff, both on and off the field. It will be our staff’s mission to continue to develop our guys into great students, people and players. My family and I are thrilled to remain a part of the Bulldog Family.”
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MacKinnon is the step brother of Conner Morro (Cheltenham, Ont.) and Corey Morro (Cheltenham, Ont.). Mom Jeanette Morro ((Cheltenham, Ont.) is the constant between them all.
Conner graduated Chattanooga State in 2016 and then moved to Canisius in 2020. He earned the Canadian Baseball Network all-Canadian college team Second Team honors in 2018. And in 2019 All-MAAC Second Team and Pre-season MAAC Team
Conner is the Ontario Blue Jays strength and conditioning coordinator while Corey Morro plays on the Ontario Blue Jays 18U.
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Coach MacKinnon is hard at work getting things ready for the upcoming season. His team will begin arriving on Aug. 13, and practice will begin shortly thereafter.
“I am excited to continue working with Kyle as he leads this program and continues to build of the success on and off the field,” said Short. He is committed to our athletes being students first and serving in the community and across campus.”
Chandler Short, McPherson athletics director, announced the resignation of Dr. Moses, head coach for the Bulldog program the past five seasons.
“Coach Moses has been an integral part of this department serving our administration team and as our head baseball coach over five years,” said Short. “He transformed the program and has left this program doing things the right way in the classroom and on the field. We wish him nothing but the best in this next step.”
Coach Moses will leave as the program’s winningest coach, going 144-92, in his five seasons. He took over a floundering program and elevated it to one of the best in the KCAC, and primed to be a national contender in the years to come. Coach Moses joined the program in the fall of 2016, taking over a program that had finished 8-44 the previous spring. In his first year at the helm, the Bulldogs improved to 20-35, their first 20-win season since 2013.
In 2017, the Bulldogs won 24 games and capped off that season with a trip to the KCAC Tournament. In his third season, the Bulldogs broke through with the program’s first 30-win season, going 30-25. The spring of 2019 was a breakout season for the Bulldogs. The team set a new record for wins, going 36-17, and had its first winning season in the KCAC with a 22-11 mark, qualifying for the end of the season tournament for the second time in program history.
Moses and the Bulldogs were poised to build on the success of the 2019 season when they hit the field in 2020, but COVID-19 shut down the season after 25 games. In 2021, Moses led the Bulldogs to another program first, a trip to the NAIA Opening Round. They finished the season 38-15, setting a new record for wins, finished runner-up at the KCAC tournament and received an at-large berth to the NAIA nationals. The Bulldogs were seeded fourth at the regional, and knocked off the #3 seed to finish 2-2.
In addition to the work with his teams on the diamond, Moses challenged his players to excel in the classroom and in the community. His teams were consistently near the top of the Bulldog Growler standings, the athletic department’s annual community service competition, and the 2021 Bulldog team was named to both the KCAC and NAIA Scholar Team list.
“My time at McPherson was more enjoyable than I ever thought possible,” said Moses. “The program turned a corner rapidly and it was fun to steer the ship. Thank you to our players, coaches and everybody who played a role. McPherson College is a special place and it will continue to be for years to come.”