Kade McClure - Baseball Coach - Mercer University Athletics

Kade McClure

Title:
Pitching Coach

A former All-American with several years of professional playing experience, Kade McClure enters his first season in Macon after joining the program ahead of the 2026 season. McClure was formerly the Director of Pitching Development at Kent State.

During his time with the Golden Flashes, McClure oversaw the development of the pitching staff using a variety of data and analytics that he collected with a variety of programs such as Trackman, Yakkertech, Playsight and Synergy. After finishing 27-27 in 2024, the Golden Flashes improved drastically in McClure’s first season with the program, ending 2025 with a 38-18 record while turning around several major pitching categories.

Team Pitching Stats
Category	2024	2025
WHIP	1.60	1.49
Innings	465.2	469.0
Hits Allowed	533	506
Earned Runs	312	297
Walks Allowed	210	194
Strikeouts	466	450
Home Runs given up	61	54

In McClure’s first year with Kent State, the Golden Flashes produced a First Team All-MAC arm and a member of their stable received Pitcher of the Week honors.

Jacob Bean finished third in the Mid-American Conference with a 4.20 ERA and six wins while striking out 72 across 75 frames to receive All-Conference laurels in 2025. The MAC named southpaw Eric Chalus the Pitcher of the Week on April 28, 2025, after Chalus tossed seven scoreless innings and punched out seven across two performances that helped keep Kent State’s six-game winning streak alive to end the season.

Before joining Kent State’s coaching staff, McClure capped off an eight-year playing career with three different organizations. After getting drafted in the 6th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox, McClure worked his way up to Triple-A before being traded to the San Francisco Giants’ organization in 2023 where he played for the Sacramento River Cats. McClure joined the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization the following year, playing primarily for the Pirates’ Triple-A squad before beginning his coaching career. McClure tossed 401.0 professional innings, tallying 391 punch-outs and maintaining a 4.44 ERA.

McClure graduated from the University of Louisville in 2017 with a B.S. in Communications with his name scattered across the Cardinals’ record book. McClure ranks top 10 in school history for wins in a season (12), strikeouts in a season (111), and starts in a season (18). McClure also ranks top 10 in school history for career wins (21), and strikeouts in a career (225). In 2016, McClure became a NCBWA First Team All-American and a Perfect Game Third Team All-American.

Coach McClure is a native of Mentor, Ohio. He met his wife, Ryleigh McClure, at the University of Louisville where she was a member of the dance team.

What they are saying about Coach McClure

“Kade did a great job while he was here. He is an incredibly gifted coach with a contagious personality. He worked endlessly on the development of our pitchers with a great ability to connect with people. We are forever grateful for the work he did here.” – Kent State Baseball Head Coach Jeff Duncan.

“Home run hire for Coach Gibson and Mercer University. With his strong athletic history and pitching background, Kade is well equipped to become a rising star in our profession. His knowledge and temperament should make an immediate impact on both current players and future recruits.” – Louisville Baseball Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach Roger Williams.