University of Connecticut Men's Baseball

Penders has worked with the University of Connecticut baseball program in 25 of the last 27 years, being associated with the Huskies as a student-athlete, an assistant coach and now head coach. He completed his 13th season at the helm of the program in 2016. A four-time conference Coach of the Year, Penders has overseen one of the most successful stretches in the 120-year history of UConn baseball. Overall in his tenure, Penders holds a 455-320-4 record. He has led the Huskies to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Super Regional appearances in 2011. UConn has also won a regular season or conference title three times with Penders in the dugout and hosted the 2010 Norwich Regional. Under his watch, nine Huskies have earned All-America honors, most recently Anthony Kay and Tim Cate in 2016. In 13 seasons as head coach for the Huskies, Penders has had a total of 42 players either drafted or signed by professional baseball clubs. During the 2015 MLB season a program-record five former Huskies played in the big leagues: Nick Ahmed ('11) of the Diamondbacks, Matt Barnes ('11) of the Red Sox, Scott Oberg ('12) of the Rockies, Mike Olt ('11) of the Cubs and George Springer ('11) of the Astros. Penders has led his squad to 30 or more wins in 11 of his 13 years at Connecticut. Penders led the Huskies to their first-ever American Athletic Conference crown in 2016, finishing with a 38-25 overall record en route to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven seasons. Four Huskies were drafted in the 2016 MLB Draft, including Kay, who went 31st overall to the New York Mets.  Penders earned NEIBA New England Coach of the Year honors in 2015 as his squad went 35-25 and reached the semifinal round of the 2015 American Baseball Championship. Seven Huskies earned All-Conference accolades following the season, including American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Carson Cross. Along with Siena, the NEIBA New England Player of the Year, Cross was named an ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-American following the season and also received All-America laurels from Louisville Slugger. Willy Yahn became UConn's first Freshman All-American since 2009 following the season with a Louisville Slugger nod. In 2014, UConn struggled with injuries and youth and finished the year with a 27-31 record. The Huskies qualified for the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship, defeating eventual champion Houston in pool play. Despite the underwhelming record, several Huskies received major individual accolades. Bobby Melley was named NEIBA New England Player of the Year and was one of three All-Conference first team members. In 2013, the Huskies claimed their final BIG EAST Championship, defeating Notre Dame, 8-1, in Clearwater, Fla. UConn advanced to play in the NCAA tournament for the third time in the past four years. The BIG EAST title was the third in UConn history joining the 1990 and '94 teams. UConn defeated No. 1 seed Virginia Tech in its first game of the 2013 NCAA Regional hosted in Blacksburg, Va., before falling to Oklahoma and the Hokies in consecutive games. The Huskies finished the season with a 35-28 record. In 2012, the Huskies' season ended in the BIG EAST Championship Semifinals with back-to-back losses to USF. UConn's overall record was 31-27-1. In 2011, Penders guided the Huskies to the program's first regular-season BIG EAST championship title and first appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals. UConn finished the season with a 22-5 mark in conference play, and ended the year with a 45-20-1 overall record. Following their program-best 22 wins in conference play in 2011, the Huskies earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time, including their second straight appearance. As the No. 2 seed in the Clemson Regional, UConn went 4-1 while eliminating all three opponents from NCAA Tournament play, including No. 1 seed Clemson. During 2011, Penders coached 11 student-athletes to BIG EAST post season honors, including Pitcher of the Year Matt Barnes and Player of the Year George Springer. Three Huskies also earned All-America status under Penders that season, as Barnes and Springer were named first team All-Americans and Kevin Vance was named a second team All-American. In the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, a program-best 10 Huskies were selected. George Springer (11th overall), and Matt Barnes (19th overall) were first-round selections of the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox respectively. Joining the two first-rounders were Nick Ahmed (2nd round pick of the Braves), John Andreoli (17th round pick of the Cubs), Greg Nappo (18th round pick of the Marlins), Kevin Vance (19th round pick of the White Sox), Mike Nemeth (21st round pick of the Brewers), Dave Fischer (30th round pick of the Giants), Doug Elliot (35th round pick of the Brewers), and Elliot Glynn (39th round pick of the Brewers). The 2010 season was one of the most successful seasons in program history, as Penders guided the Huskies to a program-best 48 wins. After being nationally ranked for the first time since 1979, UConn earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1994 and hosted the Norwich Regional at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. Along with the team success, including a UConn-best 22-game win streak, Penders earned multiple coaching accolades as he was named BIG EAST, ECAC, and NEIBA Coach of the Year. He was also named the ABCA/Diamond Northeast Coach of the Year. In 2009, Penders led the Huskies to a 36-24 overall record and an appearance in the BIG EAST Championship final against Louisville. Under Penders' guidance, George Springer became UConn's first-ever BIG EAST Rookie of the Year following the 2009 season. During 2007, Penders and the Huskies earned a spot in the BIG EAST Championship game after battling their way through the BIG EAST Tournament by upsetting three higher-seeded teams. UConn's appearance in the title game as the eighth-seed marked the lowest seed in BIG EAST Tournament history to reach the final game. In addition, Penders guided the Huskies to their third straight season with 34 or more wins, as his 2006 and 2007 squads ended the year with 39 and 34 victories respectively. After the 2006 season, a year in which the Huskies went 39-18-1, Penders led his program to a second place finish in the BIG EAST and earned BIG EAST Coach of the Year, and NEIBA Coach of the Year honors, while his team was named the NEIBA Team of the Year. In July of 2003, Penders became just the fifth head coach in the program's history since 1924 joining Sumner Dole (1924-35), J.O. Christian (1936-61), Larry Panciera (1962-79) and Andy Baylock (1980-2003). Penders was an assistant coach for the Huskies for seven years from 1997-2003 as UConn posted winning seasons in each of those campaigns. As an assistant coach, Penders coordinated the Huskies recruiting of student-athletes, served as a hitting coach and worked with the catchers and outfielders. A standout on the baseball field for Connecticut during his undergraduate career, Penders was a four-year letterwinner as a Husky. He was co-captain of the 1994 UConn squad that won the BIG EAST Conference tournament, and the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Championship in both his junior and senior years. He hit .354 with seven home runs and 46 runs batted in as a senior in 1994. He earned First Team All-Northeast, All-New England and All-BIG EAST honors in his senior year as a catcher. During his UConn career, the Huskies played in the Championship game of the BIG EAST Tournament three times. Penders helped the Huskies to 99 wins over his four seasons, including a 30-18 record in 1994. He also excelled in the classroom as a three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star. Penders was a four-year member of the UConn Captains' Council and served as that group's president during his senior year. Penders graduated from UConn in 1994 with a degree in political science and added a master's degree from UConn in 1998 from the School of Education. Penders worked in Washington, D.C., from 1994-96 as a political fundraiser for U.S. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. Penders returned to UConn for the 1997 season as a graduate assistant baseball coach and became a fulltime assistant coach for the 1999 season. He also founded and directs the Connecticut Baseball School. The popular camp holds sessions during the summer and winter vacation periods, along with a one-day fall session in October every year. The connection between the Penders family and UConn athletics runs deep. Penders' father, Jim, and uncle, Tom, both graduated from UConn and played on the Huskies' 1965 College World Series team. Jim is a 1966 UConn graduate and recently retired as the baseball coach at East Catholic High School. He won 600 games in 43 seasons and coached his three sons. He was an infielder for the Huskies and had a career batting average of .279, including a .323 mark his senior year. He was a captain of the '65 squad and the only player to hit over .300 for the Huskies that season. Jim has won four Connecticut high school state championships at East Catholic and was named the national high school coach of the year in 1996. In the summer of 2008 he was inducted into the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and in June of 2009, the baseball field at East Catholic was named in his honor. Tom, a 1967 UConn graduate, was the head men's basketball coach at Tufts (1971-74), Columbia (1974-78), Fordham (1978-86), Rhode Island (1986-88), Texas (1988-89), George Washington (1998-2000) and Houston (2004-10). Tom was a two-sport star at UConn in baseball and basketball as he played in two NCAA tournaments (1965 and 1967) and the 1965 College World Series. Penders' extended family also includes a prominent former Husky. His former classmate, teammate, battery-mate and 1994 Lawrence R. Panciera Most Valuable Player, Aaron Quinn, is now his brother-in-law. Quinn pitched for the Huskies from 1991-94 and married Penders' sister-in-law, Courtney in 1999. Penders' younger brother Rob is the head coach of Division II St. Edward's University of Austin, Texas. His grandfather Jim was the longtime baseball coach at Stratford (Conn.) High School from 1931-68 and won four state championships, a record matched by Penders' father at East Catholic. He was also the head of the physical education department and the town's recreation director. The Stratford High School baseball and football complex is named in his honor. Penders is also actively involved with several baseball clinics around the globe as he has presented as a featured clinician in Regensburg, Germany to German baseball coaches for International Sports Group/Major League Baseball International. In addition to Germany, in January of 2008, he ventured overseas to instruct Swedish coaches in a three-day national clinic in Leksand, Sweden. In January of 2009, he flew to the Czech Republic for more presentations. Penders has also spent several years working at the World Baseball Convention in Uncasville, Conn., the Be The Best You Are Clinic in Cherry Hill, N.J., as well as conducting a catching clinic at the ABCA National Convention in Nashville, Tenn. in 2004. He presented again at the ABCA National Convention in Anaheim in January of 2012. In addition, Penders contributed a chapter in the published book, Gold Glove Baseball, in which he dissects catching techniques. A native of Vernon, Conn., Penders was an all-state performer in baseball at East Catholic High School and served as his senior class president. In 2011, he was inducted into the ECHS Hall of Fame. A daily runner, Penders completed his first marathon in Philadelphia in November 2011. Penders and his wife, Brooke, reside in Old Wethersfield, Conn., and have three children - a daughter, Tess Avery (14), and sons, James Henry "Hank" (12), and Charles Edward "Charlie" (8).

Hourigan joined Jim Penders' staff prior to the 2012 season and concluded his fifth season in the Husky dugout in 2016. Hourigan, who played at UConn for two seasons, returned to Storrs after spending five years as an assistant coach and pitching coach at the University of New Haven. During Hourigan's time in Storrs, he has mentored the UConn hitters, specifically outfielders, and served as the recruiting coordinator. Since he came aboard, UConn has had 12 incoming or outgoing position players drafted in the MLB Draft. Hourigan has also helped mentor a pair of All-Americans, with Vinny Siena (2015) and LJ Mazzilli (2013) each earning All-America honors during their time in Storrs.  In 2015, Hourigan paced the UConn offense to a triple slash line of .288/.388/.416 to post a conference-leading 6.5 runs per game. The UConn offense sent five to All-Conference teams and Vinny Siena followed Bobby Melley in 2014 to give the Huskies back-to-back NEIBA New England Player of the Year winners. The Huskies also had three hitters (Blake Davey, Joe DeRoche-Duffin and Siena) earn ABCA All-Region honors.   While working at New Haven for head coach Raphael Cerrato (now head coach at Rhode Island), Hourigan helped guide the Chargers to an East Coast Conference regular season championship (2008), an NCAA Regional berth (2010), and led the pitching staff to an ERA of 2.90 which was the second best mark in the country during the 2010 season. Prior to his coaching career at New Haven, Hourigan was a student assistant coach for UConn during the 2006 season, working closely with the first basemen and pitchers. He split his collegiate playing career between Clemson and Connecticut, playing for the Tigers during the 2002 and 2003 seasons and was part of the Husky lineup during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In 2002, he competed in the College World Series as a part of a Clemson team that finished third nationally. As a senior, Hourigan was named team captain and went on to earn second team All-BIG EAST and team MVP honors. At Clemson, he earned honorable mention Freshman All-American. "I am thrilled to have Jeff back in Storrs," Penders said. "He was an outstanding player, captain, and student assistant for us, and also did a fantastic job assisting Coach Cerrato at New Haven. Above all, Jeff is a leader with a legendarily strong will to do things the right way all the time. He is a proud UConn alum who made a real name for himself during his playing days here and I'm so excited to continue building our program with him at my side." Between Clemson and Connecticut, Hourigan played in 185 games and batted .303 for his career. He scored 104 runs, drove in 129 and belted 25 homeruns. At UConn alone, he hit .333 with 17 home runs in 90 games. On the mound, he recorded a 10-8 record in 21 starts for the Huskies and struck out 103 batters in 136.1 innings pitched. Entering college, Hourigan was named the 2001 Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year, while playing at Masuk High School in Monroe. He also helped lead Naugatuck Post 17 to the 2001 American Legion State Championship. Hourigan and his wife Connie live in Prospect and have two sons, Jeffrey Jr. and Charlie. 

MacDonald joined Jim Penders' staff in 2012 and recently completed hi fifth season as the Husky pitching coach. Under MacDonald, UConn has posted three of its four best team ERAs since 1980.  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. 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).  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.  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 MacDonald resides in East Hartford with his wife, Stephanie.