October 26, 2021

Official William & Mary Athletics News Release

WILLIAMSBURG, VA.- William & Mary Director of Athletics Brian D. Mann has announced the hiring of Mike McRae as the 53rd head coach of the Tribe baseball program Tuesday afternoon.

McRae will bring 16 years of head coaching experience and over 450 career wins to Williamsburg.

In introducing McRae, Mann said, "With the hiring of Mike McRae, William & Mary has found an exceptional baseball coach to lead the Tribe. He is a man who lives and breathes the game, and I know his passion for the sport and his dedication to developing his players are the right combination for our baseball program. Mike is an impressive individual and I'm excited for our players and fans as we get ready for a new era in Tribe baseball."

His most recent coaching stint was as the pitching coach at VCU, where he spent the last four years. During his time in Richmond, McRae helped the Rams to an A-10 Championship in 2021 and regular season titles in 2021 and 2019. VCU won at least 34 games in each of his four seasons on staff. Working as the pitching coach at VCU, six of McRae's former players have gone on to play with MLB affiliated clubs.

"I am genuinely excited for the opportunity to lead the William & Mary baseball team," said McRae. "So much about the university and program aligns with my personal values and I see it as an ideal fit. While I am fully committed to building a championship program, I am equally passionate about developing student-athletes who graduate and have the tools necessary to make an impact in life beyond baseball."

While at VCU, McRae's pitching staff was consistently one of the toughest in the A-10. VCU's pitchers combined to have a sub-4.00 ERA in three of the four seasons in which McRae was on campus. The Rams also held opponents to a below .235 batting average in 2018 and 2019. VCU became nationally recognized as a force during McRae's tenure, climbing in the season ending RPI each season, reaching the mark of 30 in 2021. Under McRae, the Rams pitching staff struck out 1,564 batters, walking just 673 for a 2.32 ratio.

Prior to his time at VCU, McRae spent 13 years as the head coach of Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. McRae led the Golden Griffins to the program's first MAAC Championships and the program's first appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2015. Under McRae, Canisius won three regular season MAAC championships in his final eight seasons, during which time he held a .600 winning percentage. During his time at Canisius, 13 of McRae's players were selected in the MLB Draft, the most of any school in the MAAC.

McRae won 30 or more ball games in 10 of his final 11 years in Buffalo. Prior to hiring McRae, the Golden Griffins had won just 12 games over the previous three seasons. In his first three years on campus, McRae led the team to 47 wins and a winning record in the MAAC. In his fourth season, the skipper led the program to its first 40-win season with a then-school record of 41 victories. He would reach the 40-win mark twice more in Buffalo, winning 42 games in 2013 and 40 the following season.

Before heading up the program at Canisius, McRae was the head coach at Niagara University. During his two years at Niagara, McRae twice set school records for wins and led the Purple Eagles to back-to-back appearances in the MAAC tournament.

McRae began his coaching career by becoming the first head coach at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., where he established the foundations for an enduringly successful program. From Brock, McRae moved on to be a hitting instructor at Niagara before joining the Winthrop Golden Eagles in Rock Hill, S.C. From 1998-2001 the Niagara Falls, Ont., native served as the pitching coach at Maine.

In addition to a lengthy collegiate career, McRae has experience as an assistant for the Canadian National Youth Team which competed in the 1996 and 1997 World Championships. He also spent the spring of 1997 as a guest coach for the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training and rounded out his international experience with a coaching stint on Team USA's 16U program in the summer of 2019.

McRae played collegiately at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He was a four-year letter winner in baseball, and as a goalie on the Colby hockey team. McRae earned his undergraduate degree from Colby in 1991 and his master's degree in education from Niagara in 1993.