Rob McDonald - Baseball Coach - Murray State University Athletics

Rob McDonald

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
rob.mcdonald@murraystate.edu
Phone:
(270) 809-4892

2009 OVC Coach of the Year

Former Thoroughbreds catcher Rob McDonald returned to his alma mater with an eye toward improvement, a trait that has become evident during his time in the dugout.

McDonald became the seventh head coach in Breds history, when he was introduced on May 8, 2003.
Breds baseball became known as a style of play, of gritty determination and all-out abandon in an effort to score runs and win, regardless of the situation, regardless of the odds.

“We try to recruit good character kids to Murray State,” McDonald said. “We look for a strong work ethic and good citizenship.

“We have quality young men in our program. They come in knowing we have high expectations for them, on and off the field. What I expect is not for everybody. We have fun, but we do things the right way. Our guys welcome the discipline; we get along like family.”

Success in the classroom has remained a mainstay under McDonald’s watch. This past Fall, the Breds had a 3.33 cumulative GPA, while junior Paul Ritzheimer was awarded the prestigous OVC Scholar-Athlete Award.

The new bat standards brought about a change in the college game. The Breds still hit .306 as a team, the third highest season average in the past 15 years.

McDonald continues to lead MSU to one of the top programs in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Breds finished the 2010 season with a record of 28-28-1. MSU was also the only team in the OVC to finish in the top three of the OVC standings in 2010-2011.

One of the keys to success has been using spacious Reagan Field to their advantage. MSU went 14-9-1 at home in 2010, and were 7-2-1 in OVC contests.

The Breds have used one of the most potent offenses in the league to re-write the record books for the second-straight season. One year after setting five school records, MSU established new marks for hits (638), runs (455), doubles (135), RBIs (413) and total bases (995).

The catalyst of the offense was first baseman Wes Cunningham, who was named the OVC Player of the Year, as well as becoming the first position player to earn All-America honors.

The national attention was not limited to just Cunningham, as shortstop Brandon Elliott was honored as a Third-Team Freshman All-America by Ping!Baseball, the first in MSU history.

Cunningham re-wrote the record books, as he set new single-season marks for at-bats (233), runs scored (77), hits (95), triples (6), home runs (22), RBIs (86), total bases (192) and slugging percentage (.824). His 86 RBIs and 192 total bases also established new records in the OVC.
Success is not only limited to the playing field, but also in the classroom. In 2010, Cunnigham was honored as an ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-America. He was also a three-time First-Team All-District IV selection.

Cunningham is not the only Bred to achieve success in the classroom. In the Fall, 2010 semester, the Breds achieved a 3.25 team GPA. Twelve players were members of the Dean’s List, while four received a 4.0.

McDonald guided the Breds to one of the most improved teams in 2009 as MSU went 34-21-1 and placed second in the OVC. The 34 wins were the most since 1975 and the efforts helped McDonald earn Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors.

The MSU offense established new school-records for hits (588), runs (416), triples (23), RBIs (367) and total bases (898). They also ranked second in doubles (108) and fourth in average (.319).
The pitching staff also bolstered the lowest ERA over the past 19 seasons, with an OVC-best 4.53 ERA.

In his seven years at MSU, McDonald has guided 20 players to all-conference honors, including eight players that have garnered first-team accolades.

In 2009 alone, four players, Daniel Calhoun, Cunningham, Daniel Hill and Jason Laws, earned first-team honors, while Chris Craycraft was named to the second team. Calhoun was also selected as the Pitcher of the Year and became the first All-American in Breds history.

The class in which the Breds present on the field does not go unnoticed by the coaches in the league. MSU has received the OVC Sportsmanship Award following the 2006 and 2009 seasons.
McDonald came to MSU after serving two years as the director of baseball for Opportunity Through Baseball, based in Denver, Colo., where he implemented baseball instruction for 50 athletes selected in conjunction with Major League Baseball in six major market areas.

McDonald began his coaching career in 1985, when he served as an assistant coach at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill.

After spending three seasons as an assistant, McDonald was promoted to head coach, where he spent three seasons.

In his time with the Lynx, McDonald led the team to a record of 88-75-2. He led the team to a winning record in his second season, the first for the team in over a decade. The team captured the district championship and advanced to the regional tournament, while earning their first ever national ranking.
In his final season at LC, McDonald paced the Lynx to a 38-win season, the most in a single season in school history.

After the completion of the 1990 season, McDonald moved South and accepted a graduate assistant coaching position under legendary Ron Polk at Mississippi State.

McDonald served in a variety of roles with the Bulldogs, which included serving as first-base coach and working with the first baseman, catchers and outfielders.

In his time in Starkville, the Bulldogs advanced to a pair of NCAA Regionals. He has also published the “Catching Skills and Drills” instructional video, called “the best ever done on the subject” by Collegiate Baseball.

McDonald became the associate head coach at Memphis in 1993, a position he held through the 2000 season. He ran the offense for the Tigers, while serving as the third-base coach, and also handled recruiting.

In his first year with the Tigers, UM posted a 42-15 record and captured the Great Midwest Conference championship. In fact, McDonald helped guide the Tigers a regular season or tournament championship in each of his first three seasons.

In 1994, McDonald helped guide the Tigers to a 52-11 record and the top scoring offense in the nation at 10.24 runs per nine innings. The offense was led by first-team All-American Mark Little.
Under McDonald’s tutelage, Tiger shortstop Randy Meadows was named the 1997 National Defensive Player of the Year.

McDonald served as the head coach at Union County High School from 2001-03.

McDonald is a nationally recognized baseball clinician, having been a featured speaker at several presentations, including the 2006 American Baseball Coaches Association National Convention; the 2006 Baseball Bash in Richmond, Va.; the Texas High School Baseball Coaches State Convention; the Ontario Baseball Association and the Bay Area’s Best catching camp in San Jose, Calif.

He is also thought to be the only Division I head baseball coach to be a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

McDonald began his collegiate career at Illinois where he hit .307 and led the team in RBIs as a catcher, first baseman and designated hitter.

After his freshman season, McDonald transferred to MSU for his final three seasons, where he hit .319 with five doubles as a senior.

McDonald earned a bachelor of science degree from MSU in 1984 and earned a master’s degree in education from Mississippi State in 1992.

Both of McDonald’s parents are alums of MSU. His mother, Billie Jean, was named Ms. Murray State, while his father, Gene, was a member of the Tangerine Bowl team before serving as the team’s starting quarterback as a senior. His father was later inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

McDonald and his wife, the former Fawn Wells, a 1985 MSU graduate, have three children: Amanda, 18; Grant, 16; and Rachel, 15.