Gary McClure is a former American

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

coach, formerly serving as head coach of the

Austin Peay Governors baseball The Austin Peay Governors are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Austin Peay State University (APSU), located in Clarksville, Tennessee, United States. The Governors athletic program is a member of the ASUN Conference. Prior to 2022 the Governo ...

program. He was named to that position prior to the 1988 season. With 847 wins, McClure is the winningest coach in Austin Peay baseball history, as well as the winningest coach in

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Cham ...

baseball history. McClure played two years at Southeastern Community College in Iowa before completing his eligibility at Cumberland. He then completed his degree at Austin Peay, and served as a student assistant coach. With the retirement of then-coach Billy Merkel, McClure was hired as head coach just two years removed from his playing days. Under McClure, the Governors won thirteen regular season and tournament OVC titles. They appeared in six NCAA Regionals. McClure has coached six major league players (Jamie "Cat" Walker-Royals, Tigers, Orioles), (George Sherrill-Mariners, Orioles, Dodgers, Braves) (AJ Ellis-Dodgers, Marlins, Padres), (Shawn Kelley-Mariners, Yankees, Nationals), (Matt Reynolds-Rockies, Diamondbacks, Giants), (Ryan Harper-Mariners). McClure was inducted into the Austin Peay Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012. McClure has been a candidate for several major conference coaching vacancies, most recently at

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

. He withdrew his name from consideration for the Iowa position in the summer of 2013, electing to remain at Austin Peay. McClure was hired by the Battle Creek Bombers of the North Woods League in 2016 where his team finished with a record of 40-33 while going 21-16 in the second half. They made the playoffs for only the second time in the team's ten year history. They beat the Madison Mallards in the first round and then lost in the semifinals to the Rapids Rafters, the eventual 2016 champion. In 2017, McClure was hired by the

Kokomo Jackrabbits The Kokomo Jackrabbits are a college summer baseball team based in Kokomo, Indiana. They are a member of the summer collegiate Northwoods League, beginning with the 2019 season. Previously, the team played in the Prospect League. The Jackrabbits p ...

. In 2019, he was hired as manager of the

Milwaukee Milkmen The Milwaukee Milkmen are an independent baseball team based in Franklin, Wisconsin. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2019 and play hom ...

for their inaugural 2019 season in the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

but was not retained for 2020 following the team's 38-62 performance. In 2021 McClure was hired as the Manager by the Burlington Bee's for its inaugural season in the Prospect League a collegiate summer Baseball league in Burlington Iowa.

Head coaching record

This table shows McClure's record as a collegiate head coach.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClure, Gary Living people Baseball shortstops Austin Peay State University alumni Austin Peay Governors baseball coaches Cumberland Phoenix baseball players Southeastern Blackhawks baseball players 1964 births

Head coaching record

See also

References