University of Connecticut Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Pitching Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
- Email:
- joshua.macdonald@uconn.edu
Josh MacDonald joined Jim Penders' staff in 2012 and enters his 15th season as Husky pitching coach in 2026. MacDonald is part of the longest tenured coaching staff in Division I baseball.Â
MacDonald has coached seven All-Americans during his time in Storrs and had an All-American in six of seven completed seasons (Cross ('15), Kay ('16), Russell ('17), Feole & Poulin ('18), Jacob Wallace ('19) and Austin Peterson (2022). (*2020 season shortened due to Covid-19)
Under MacDonald the Huskies have eclipsed 500 strikeouts as a staff the past 10 seasons, including a program record 642 strikeouts in 2022. (*2020 season shortened due to Covid-19).
In 2025, the Huskies won 38 games and won a fifth-straight BIG EAST regular season championship. UConn closer Brady Afthim earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors with nine saves and and a team-low 2.45 ERA. Afthim finished his career with 92 career appearances under MacDonald, ranking second most in program history. Senior Ian Cooke closed his career with 276 strikeouts, also ranking second in UConn history.Â
In 2025 MLB Draft, Brady Afthim was selected in the 13th Round by the Cincinnati Reds. On August 6, 2025, PJ Poulin made his Major League debut with the Washington Nationals.Â
During the 2024 season, the Huskies captured a NCAA Norman Regional title to advance to the program's third Super Regional. The Huskies earned their sixth-straight NCAA Tournament berth and won their fourth-straight BIG EAST regular season crown. Ian Cooke captured BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year honors, the first since Kay in 2016. Cooke, Brady Afthim and Garrett Coe all garnered All-BIG EAST accolades. Braden Quinn was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 14th Round of the 2024 MLB Draft while Stephen Quigley signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds.
On August 31, 2024, Ben Casparius made his MLB Debut and eventually pitched in the MLB postseason and World Series for the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.Â
En route to the Huskies winning its third-straight BIG EAST regular season championship and making its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament, Zach Fogell and Stephen Quigley earned All-BIG EAST honors in 2023. Andrew Sears was selected in the 10th Round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers and Zach Fogell was taken in the 18th Round by the Boston Red Sox.
In 2022, the Huskies pitching staff ranked top-10 in the nation in ERA (6th, 3.78) and strikeouts (10th, 642). Austin Peterson and Pat Gallagher tied for the most wins in the nation with 11. While earning All-American numbers in 2022, Peterson set the UConn single-season strikeout record with 147 strikeouts, ranking third in the country. Ian Cooke also earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American honors for his first season in Storrs. The Huskies placed its entire weekend rotation on the BIG EAST All-Conference team with Pat Gallagher and Austin Peterson on the First Team and Enzo Stefanoni on the second team.Â
For his accomplishments during the 2022 season, MacDonald was named the 2022 D1Baseball.com Assistant Coach of the Year.
Three UConn pitchers were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft with Reggie Crawford (1st Round), Austin Peterson (9th Round) and Pat Gallagher (11th Round) all selected.Â
As part of the 2021 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year, MacDonald saw three of his pitchers land on the BIG EAST All-Conference team with Caleb Wurster (First Team), Ben Casparius (Second Team) and Austin Peterson (Second Team) all taking home accolades. Casparius led the BIG EAST and posted the second most strikeouts in a single-season with 127 while Caleb Wurster led the BIG EAST with his nine saves.
Three UConn pitchers were selected in the 2021 MLB Draft with Ben Casparius (5th Round, Dodgers), Caleb Wurster (15th Round, Marlins) and Andrew Marrero (18th Round, Cardinals) all picked.Â
With a shortened season and abbreviated draft, Nick Krauth was spectacular for the Huskies in 2020, going 4-0 with a 0.36 ERA in four starts. He was headed for an All-American season before the season was cut short. Krauth signed a free agent deal with the Texas Rangers after the MLB Draft.Â
Jacob Wallace was one of the top closers in the country in 2019 and became a third round pick by the Colorado Rockies in the MLB Draft, the highest draft pick for a UConn reliever in program history. Wallace received numerous All-American accolades with four First Team and one second team nod. He was one of five pitchers up for National Pitcher of the Year and was a finalist for NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top reliever in college baseball.Â
Mason Feole closed out his career in 2019 by becoming the program's all-time strikeout leader with 278 strikeouts.Â
On Sept. 7, 2019, former MacDonald pupil, Anthony Kay, made his Major League debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.Â
Two Husky arms received All-American recognition in 2018 with Mason Feole and P.J. Poulin earning ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-America status. Feole became just the second pitcher in UConn history to hit 120 strikeouts in single-season en route to nine victories and a 2.50 ERA. Poulin set the UConn single-season record with 16 saves in 2018 and ranked top-10 nationally in saves. The left hander appeared in 31 games, notched six wins and held a 3.26 ERA.
Poulin was drafted in the 11th Round of the MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies while southpaw Tim Cate was picked 65th overall in the Second Round by the Washington Nationals. Cate set the UConn program record for strikeouts with 270 strikeouts in three seasons in Storrs.
The Huskies pitching staff shattered the previous program record for strikeouts in a single-season with 575 strikeouts in 2017, breaking the previous mark of 558 set in 2016. The Huskies finished the season tied for first nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (10.1). For the first time in school history, two pitchers struck out 100 or more batters in the same season (Tim Cate 102, Wills Montgomerie 116).
For the second-straight season a Husky pitcher won Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Year, Mason Feole took home the honor in 2017. On March 4, the Huskies tied a school record with 20 strikeouts against Stetson. John Russell garnered third team ABCA/Rawlings Third Team All-American status after breaking the single-season school record with 14 saves. Three pitchers: Wills Montgomerie (6th Round), John Russell (16th) and Doug Domnarski (27th) were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft. 11Â pitchers have been signed by major league clubs since the arrival of MacDonald.
MacDonald coached a pair of All-Americans in 2016, highlighted by Anthony Kay's Louisville Slugger Second Team All-America nod. Kay, who was drafted by the New York Mets with the 31st pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, was also tabbed as the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and Most Outstanding Player in The American conference tournament; pitching the UConn to its first American Athletic Conference title. Freshman LHP Tim Cate was tabbed as the league's Rookie Pitcher of the Year and earned on a spot on the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America squad. As a staff, UConn established a new single-season program record with 558 strikeouts and picked up the fourth-most wins in single-season history (38).Â
In 2015, MacDonald led the Husky pitching staff to its first sub-3.00 team ERA since 1977, placing 14th in the country and second in The American with a 2.94 mark. The Huskies were also 14th in the country with a 1.20 WHIP and placed eighth in the nation with 7.53 hits allowed/nine innings. Leading the way was Third Team All-American Carson Cross, who became the 11th pitcher to earn All-America honors in program history before a 14th round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2015 MLB Draft. Cross was joined by Anthony Kay to make UConn the only team in The American with two First Team All-Conference performers. Kay became the first selection to the 2015 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team during the season.Â
The 2014 Huskies finished 45th nationally with a 3.19 ERA, good for third best in The American Athletic Conference. MacDonald guided senior ace Anthony Marzi to a Third Team All-Conference season, helping Marzi move into the top-five in UConn history in several categories. Under MacDonald's counsel, freshman Andrew Zapata finished seventh in the nation and first in The American with a paltry 5.57 hits allowed per nine innings.
In 2013, the Husky pitching staff boasted a 3.42 earned run average, led by sophomore ace Carson Cross, who finished the year with a 9-4 record and a 2.44 earned run average. Cross was selected in the 24th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 719th overall player taken and the 13th of the round. The Huskies finished the season with a combined 398 strikeouts in 574.0 innings pitched. UConn finished third in the BIG EAST in ERA and ranked 45th out of 296 teams nationally. Marzi and reliever David Mahoney were both named to the All-BIG EAST Tournament team during the Huskies championship run in Clearwater, Fla.
In 2012, the UConn pitching staff ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in earned run average, second in conference-only games, and third in batting average against. Marzi finished third in the league in ERA in conference games, while righty Scott Oberg was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Oberg and fellow righty David Fischer were each chosen in the MLB draft, going in the 15th and 18th rounds, respectively.
MacDonald, a UConn alum, spent two years as the pitching coach with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod Baseball League from 2010-11and served as an assistant coach in the CCBL All-Star Game for the West Division in 2010. During his time with the club, the Braves won the CCBL championship during 2009 and then won the Western Division championship in 2010. As an integral part of the coaching staff, MacDonald also guided one of his players to become the 2010 CCBL Outstanding Pitcher of the Year.
Prior to his stint with the Bourne Braves, he served as a pitching coach for Long Island University from 2007-2009, where he tutored four pitchers who went on to play professionally. MacDonald finished his collegiate playing career in 2006, after helping the Huskies to a second place finish during the BIG EAST regular season and a then school record 39 wins. At the time, he was third on the all-time pitching appearance list at UConn and is currently ninth after the 2012 season.
MacDonald served as the head baseball coach of the St. Thomas More Prep squad from 2010-2011, along with stints as head junior varsity basketball coach and assistant football coach. He was also a history teacher at St. Thomas More Prep during that time.
"Josh's experience in the Cape developing some of the best collegiate pitchers in the country, along with evaluation and recruiting skills honed at LIU provide a great foundation for what I believe is going to grow into a great coaching career," Penders said. "His loyalty to UConn and passion for teaching are going to be so well received by our student-athletes. I can't wait to work with him again."
MacDonald pitched in 62 games over the course of his career with the Huskies. He posted a 10-8 record out of the bullpen and owned a 4.85 earned run average. MacDonald struck out 86 batters in 154 innings and earned two saves, both in his senior season. He earned the first win in the Jim Penders era at UConn with an 8-3 win over Butler on March 3, 2004. In the summer of 2005, MacDonald was an All-Star in the Valley League and helped his team to a Northern Division Championship.
A 2001 graduate of Notre Dame High School of West Haven and a Milford native, MacDonald was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 47th round of the 2001 MLB Amateur Draft. At ND, he was a part of the 2000 Class LL State Championship squad and in 2001 was named the New Haven Register All-Area MVP.
MacDonald resides in Colchester with his wife, Stephanie, daughter, Avery and son, David.
MAJOR LEAGUE DRAFT PICKS & FREE AGENTS COACHED UNDER MACDONALD
1st Round - Reggie Crawford (San Francisco Giants, 2022)
1st Round (c) - Anthony Kay (New York Mets, 2016)
2nd Round - Tim Cate (Washington Nationals, 2018)
3rd Round - Jacob Wallace (Colorado Rockies, 2019)
5th Round - Ben Casparius (Los Angeles Dodgers, 2021)
6th Round - Wills Montgomerie (Los Angeles Dodgers, 2017)
9th Round - Austin Peterson (Cleveland Guardians, 2022)
11th Round - Mason Feole (San Diego Padres, 2019)
11th Round - P.J. Poulin (Colorado Rockies, 2018)
11th Round - Pat Gallagher (Toronto Blue Jays, 2022)
13th Round - Brady Afthim (Cincinnati Reds, 2025)
14th Round - Carson Cross (St. Louis Cardinals, 2015)
14th Round - Braden Quinn (Arizona Diamondbacks, 2024)
15th Round - Scott Oberg (Colorado Rockies, 2012)
15 Round - Caleb Wurster (Miami Marlins, 2021)
16th Round - John Russell (San Francisco Giants, 2017)
18th Round - Andrew Marrero (St. Louis Cardinals, 2021)
18th Round - David Fischer (Washington Nationals, 2012)
27th Round - Doug Domnarski (Miami Marlins, 2017)
27th Round - Pat Ruotolo (San Francisco Giants, 2016)
37th Round - CJ Dandeneau (Pittsburgh Pirates, 2019)
Free Agent - Nick Krauth (Texas Rangers, 2020)
Free Agent - Anthony Marzi (New York Yankees, 2014)
Free Agent - Stephen Quigley (Cincinnati Reds, 2024)
Free Agent - Dominic Freeberger (Baltimore Orioles, 2024)
Free Agent - Devin Kirby (Minnesota Twins (2023)
Major Leaguers in BOLD
