The newly-hired head coach John Szefc made his first big decision on Wednesday, as Virginia Tech baseball announced that Ryan Fecteau had been hired as the new pitching coach.
Fecteau was the pitching coach last season at Maryland, under Szefc’s tutelage.
“I’m very fortunate that Ryan has decided to come with me to Blacksburg,” Szefc said in a statement. “Coaching and recruiting pitchers is one of the most important parts of building a good college baseball program. Ryan is a pro and he’s had a ton of success. When he was working for my friend Steve Owens at Bryant, he had a ton of success in building that program. He knows our recruiting area well. He’s very hands-on and is a great developer. He’s great with video and his personality will make him a very good fit here in Blacksburg.”
Fecteau’s first and only season as the pitching coach at Maryland came last year, where the pitching staff posted a team ERA of 3.61 against Big Ten opponents, the best in the conference. Brian Shaffer was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and an All-American, while Tyler Blohm earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Four Maryland pitchers were drafted in the 2017 MLB Draft, giving Fecteau 12 drafted pitchers that he’s coached in his career.
Fecteau played at Saint Anselm before serving as an assistant at St. Lawrence, USC Upstate and Southern Utah University. After those stops, Fecteau coached at Bryant University for six seasons, helping the Bulldogs to three NCAA Tournament appearances. In four seasons under Fecteau, Bryant led their conference in ERA and became the first Northeast Conference team in history to finish the season with a sub-3.00 team ERA.
“My family and I are extremely excited to be a part of the Virginia Tech community,” Fecteau said in a statement. “I cannot thank Coach Szefc enough for this incredible opportunity and everything he has done for my family.”
Szefc was just hired on June 9, and still has one more main addition to the staff to make. The new hitting coach has yet to be announced, but Szefc is reportedly looking at VCU’s Kurt Elbin for the position.
I'd look for @VT_Baseball HC John Szefc to hire Ryan Fecteau (Maryland) and Kurt Elbin (VCU) to round out his coaching staff. #Hokies
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 21, 2017
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excellent hire! Coach will get the job done here at Tech; just give him a couple of years.