New Jersey Institute of Technology Men's Baseball

McClellan, a former professional pitcher who has built a successful college coaching career, first joined the baseball program at NJIT as an assistant coach, in August of 2012.   In his first season with the Highlanders, McClellan helped guide the final seasons of two pitchers, Mark Leiter, Jr, and Tripp Davis, who would make the transition from college to professional baseball in the summer of 2013. Leiter, who made national news with 20 strikeouts against Chicago State, the most in any Division I game nationally in 2013, would be picked by the Philadelphia Phillies in that Junes first-year player draft. And Davis signed as an undrafted free agent with the organization of the 2014 American League champion Kansas City Royals.   The following season, with three regular starting pitchers who had not been in the previous years rotation, McClellans pitching staff shaved nearly a full run off of its team earned run average, that despite the graduation loss of two ace pitchers who went on to pro ball.   The 2015 season posed even more of a challenge on paper, with freshmen accounting for 61 percent of the teams inning pitched. They responded with a better staff ERA than the season before and freshman Tommy Derer was the team ERA leader (2.17) and Johnny Malatesta and Sean Lubreski each matched the program records for wins in a season by a freshman (5).   McClellan, who pitched in the minor leagues for three seasons after being drafted in the 12th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft by the Kansas City Royals, made a quick transition into college coaching when his playing career ended prematurely due to injury.   After retiring from playing in the summer of 2007, he joined the coaching staff at Chandler Gilbert Community College in Arizona that September and was the program's pitching coach until signing on for the staff at NJIT. At Chandler Gilbert, a national-level two-year program, 27 of his pitching pupils have either moved on to NCAA Division I programs or to sign professional contracts.   "Coach McClellan is an experienced evaluator and tireless recruiter. head coach Guiliana stated when he hired his pitching coach. Most importantly, he has a proven track record of developing players. In five years of coaching in junior college and summer leagues, 27 players have signed professional contracts and over 35 have gone on to play at the Division I level. Coach McClellan will be a major part of the NJIT baseball teams continued success."   McClellan, himself, pitched two years at Seward County Community College in his native Kansas before moving on to the top Division I program at Arizona State, where his teammates included current major league stars Dustin Pedroia (2007 American League Rookie of the Year and 2008 AL Most Valuable Player for the Red Sox) and Andre Ethier (two-time National League All-Star for the Dodgers).   McClellan was all-conference both of his years at Seward, ranking second in the nation in strikeouts per inning as a freshman (80 strikeouts in 51 innings). At Arizona State, he was a key part of the 2003 team that won 50 games, was ranked first in the nation at one point, advanced to the NCAA postseason Super Regional and ranked seventh in the final national poll, as he posted a 7-0 won-lost record. A year earlier, he was honorable mention all-Pac-10 Conference and earned Pac-10 and National Pitcher of the Week.   Drafted by the Royals, he won 14 games in two seasons in their organization before missing the 2005 season. Joining the independent minor league Traverse City club in Michigan in 2006, he won 12 more games before retiring in July 2007. His manager, Jon Cahill, said at the time: Robbie has been a great competitor for us the past two seasons and is a first class individual on and off the field. I wish more players had the heart and soul for the game of baseball like he does."   In addition to his coaching at Chandler Gilbert Community College, McClellan served as pitching coach for teams in the famed Cape Cod Baseball League and in the Texas Collegiate League, two of the top summer circuits for college players. In three years on the summer scene, he coached 35 players who were drafted by major league baseball.   He is a 2011 graduate of Northern Arizona University.   (last edit Sept. 2015)  

Assistant Coach (Pitchers & Catchers) + Recruiting Coordinator at D1 NJIT in Newark, NJ. Over six years, have led the AE in pitching, been top 4 in ERA 4 consecutive years, and gained the (school and conference's) first NCAA Regional win at the '21 Arkansas Regional, defeating Northeastern University