Sean McGrath has been named as Lamar University’s new pitching coach announced LU head baseball coach Will Davis Tuesday afternoon. McGrath joins the Cardinals after spending the previous two seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
McGrath brings several years of experience with him to the Golden Triangle which includes stops in the Big 10 within MLB organizations.
“We were blown away when we brought Sean in,” said Davis. “He has a knowledge of how to train pitchers to maximize their individual skill sets in a very modern way. He also has the experience of running both DI and professional pitching staffs that is very conducive to racking up wins.”
During his two seasons with the Hawkeyes, McGrath put together one of the top pitching staffs in the country, including a 2023 squad that helped Iowa post 44 wins and advance to the NCAA Championships where they advanced to the finals of the Terre Haute Regional.
During the 2023 season, McGrath’s pitching staff ranked second nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (6.74), fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (10.9), 11th in earned run average 94.19) and 12th in shutouts (6). That season Iowa also led the Big 10 in ERA, strikeouts (630 – which was a new program record), shutouts, and opponent’s batting average.
The Hawkeyes had to two pitchers get drafted from that squad – Jared Simpson (Washington Nationals – 8th Round) and Ty Langenburg (Minnesota – 11th Round) – while a third (reliever Will Christopherson) signed a free agent deal with the Los Angeles Angles.
Iowa’s pitching staff continued to rank among the nation’s elite again in 2024 despite losing several key pieces to the major leagues. The Hawkeyes ended the 2024 campaign ranked fifth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (11.1) and 13th in hits per nine innings (7.99). Brody Brecht, who struck out 109 batters in 2023, which is the second-most single-season Ks in Iowa history, is currently rated as the No. 21 draft prospect by MLB.com.
McGrath joined the Hawkeyes after spending the 2022 season within the Seattle Mariners organization working with the Double-A affiliate Arkansas Travelers. The Travelers posted a 4.27 ERA which led the Texas League. Under McGrath’s direction, the Travelers led the league in shutouts (11), WHIP (1.30) and opponents’ batting average (.229).
His time with the Travelers came following a one-year stint with the High-A Everett AquaSox. He was also named pitching coach of the Single-A Modesto Nuts in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
McGrath was a standout in his own right as a player. A four-year letter winner winner at Lafayette College, McGrath made 70 appearances totaling 111.1 innings pitched. He ended his career with five wins, five saves and 108 strikeouts.
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