SPARTANBURG, S.C. –University of South Carolina Upstate Athletic Director Daniel Feig on Tuesday announced Mike McGuire as the fourth head coach of the Spartans baseball program.
McGuire joins USC Upstate after seven seasons as head coach of the NCAA Division I baseball program at Morehead State University in Kentucky. Under McGuire’s leadership, the team compiled an overall record of 228-187 and a conference record of 118-91, including an average of 37 wins per season over the past five years.
A press conference will be held in the lobby of the G.B. Hodge Center next Thursday, June 27 at 10:00 a.m. to formally introduce McGuire as the next head coach of the University of South Carolina baseball team.
“I am thrilled to announce Coach Mike McGuire to Spartan Nation as our next Head Baseball Coach,” said Director of Athletics Daniel Feig. “Having spent 16 years as a college coach in our region, Coach McGuire has deep local recruiting ties and he knows what it takes to be successful in our area.
“Coach McGuire has experienced unprecedented success at each stop along his coaching journey,” Feig added. “Each institution–beginning at Winthrop as an assistant, before moving on to Lander University, Louisburg College, and Morehead State University as a head coach, each institution experienced the winningest season in its history during Coach McGuire’s tenure. Equally impressive is his off-the-field record—Coach McGuire is committed to developing his student-athletes in the classroom and for the challenges of life after graduation.”
During the past five seasons, McGuire led the Eagles to 183 victories, which ranks in the top-40 nationally. The team defeated 10 nationally ranked opponents and were champions of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and NCAA Regional Participants in 2015 and 2018.
Since 2014, the Eagles have had three freshman All-Americans, two first team All-Americans and four pre-season All-Americans.
Under McGuire’s tutelage, nine players have been drafted by Major League Baseball organizations and 13 players have signed professional contracts at Morehead State. Overall, he has coached more than 58 players who have joined the professional ranks and 25 All-Americans.
“I want to thank Dr. Kelly and Daniel Feig for entrusting me to lead the baseball program and this great opportunity,” McGuire said. “USC Upstate is on the rise as an institution and I’m excited about the commitment they are making to the baseball program. Having played at USC and spending 16 years coaching in the Carolinas, I’m excited to be back in South Carolina. I met my wife in South Carolina and my two oldest kids were born in South Carolina. This is home for us.”
McGuire was named OVC Coach of the Year in 2015 after he led the Eagles to 20 wins in conference play, setting a new school record in the process. This past season, McGuire led Morehead State to their first ever 40-win season.
In 2019, the Eagles pitching staff led the OVC in Earned Run Average, Opponent’s Batting Average and Saves. The 2018 pitching staff set a program and OVC record with 570 strikeouts in a season.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles ranked top five nationally in seven different categories in 2018: Batting average, slugging, doubles, runs, runs per game, on base percentage and sacrifice flies. Defensively, the 2018 team ranked fourth nationally in double plays.
In 2016, the Eagles pitching staff held the program and OVC records for strikeouts in a single season with 554. They finished fourth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings.
McGuire’s 2015 squad ranked top-five nationally in five different offensive categories: Batting average, slugging, doubles, double per game and runs per game.
Before joining Morehead State, McGuire was head coach at Louisburg College for one season (2012). He led Louisburg to a 52-9 record and a No.1 national ranking in the NJCAA. The squad also had the longest winning streak at any level of college baseball with a 27 game streak.
McGuire was an assistant coach at Winthrop University from 1997-2002 and again in 2006-2011. In 2001, Winthrop’s baseball program set a school record with 48 wins. During his tenure, Winthrop averaged 35 wins per season.
As the head coach at Lander University from 2003-2005, the Bearcats ranked in the Top-25 all seasons and the 2004 squad set a program record with 33 wins in a season. The 2005 team achieved the school’s highest ever national ranking (No. 7), and McGuire had a player selected in the MLB draft which was a program first.
McGuire played professionally for the Zanesville Greys, a Class A Frontier League affiliate, from 1993-1994. He helped the Greys win the League Championship in 1993. McGuire played collegiately at the University of South Carolina from 1992-1994 and the University of Akron from 1990-1991.
McGuire is a graduate of both the University of South Carolina (1994) and Morehead State University (1996). He is married to the former Angela Kearns of Heyworth, Ill., and together the couple has three daughters, Courtney (14), Sydney (12) and Sarah (4).
“Throughout the hiring process as I spoke to his coaching peers and professional colleagues, they all spoke to Coach McGuire’s ability to connect with and mentor student-athletes on and off the field, while establishing a culture of success throughout the program,” Feig added. “Coach McGuire has a demonstrated track record of comprehensive excellence throughout all phases of the student-athlete experience, and I look forward to welcoming Coach McGuire and his wife Angela, as well as their three daughters Courtney, Sydney, and Sarah, to Spartanburg!”
All hires by the University of South Carolina Upstate athletic department are subject to an approved background check.
