Mike Steele is in his third season as pitching coach at Wichita State.
In his second season in the dugout with the Shockers, Steele helped Wichita State to a 35-21-1 overall record, including a 23-8-1 mark at home and a 25-5 tally in non-conference play.
He coached five pitchers who were drafted in the 2018 MLB Draft, including Codi Heuer and Chandler Sanburn, who were both taken in the first 10 rounds of the draft. Heuer was a sixth-round selection to the White Sox while Sanburn was a ninth-round pick to the Rangers.
Steele also instructed right-hander Liam Eddy, who was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
WSU lowered its team ERA to 3.91, and ranked fifth in team pitching in its first season in the American Athletic Conference, which ranked fourth among all Division I conferences in RPI.
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Since Steele arrived in 2017, WSU has lowered its team ERA over two points, going from 5.97 in 2016 to 3.91 last season.Â
The Shockers also established a new program record for strikeouts per nine inning game at 9.2 Ks per game.
In Steele’s first season with WSU in 2017, two pitchers were drafted in the MLB Draft. Ben Hecht was a 12th round selection by the Cubs, and Reagan Biechler was a 31st round selection by the Rockies.
In addition to the two draft selections in 2017, Wichita State pitchers Zach Lewis and Landon Holifield both signed non-drafted MLB free-agent contracts.
Steele, a native of Midland, Michigan, came to Wichita State after serving as the pitching coach at Long Beach State for two seasons.
In 2016, Steele helped guide the Dirtbags to a NCAA Regional. His pitching staff compiled a 3.17 team ERA and was led by second team All-American and Big West Pitcher of the Year Darren McCaughan who went 10-1 with a 2.03 ERA. He was the first Dirtbag pitcher with 10 wins in a season since 2005. Freshman closer Chris Rivera earned second team Freshman All-America honors after posting 13 saves in 2016, which were the most saves in the nation by a freshman.
Three of Steele’s pitchers were drafted in the 2016 MLB Draft including first team all-Big West selection Austin McGeorge (seventh round), Chris Mathewson (19th round) and Lucas Jacobsen (27th round).
During his first year in Long Beach, Steele guided Chris Mathewson to Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and Freshman All-America honors. The righty finished with a 1.94 ERA and held opposing batters to just a .184 batting average. On March 1, Mathewson and Darren McCaughan combined to throw the first no-hitter in Dirtbags history. The staff finished with a 3.27 ERA.
Also under Steele's tutelage, Kyle Friedrichs emerged as an ace for the Dirtbags, striking out 109 batters over 100 innings with a 2.79 ERA. He was a semifinalist for the Gregg Olsen Award for college baseball's breakout player of the year and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics.
Before LBSU, Steele spent the previous seven years in various roles within the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. During the 2014 season he worked as an area scout for the Pirates and signed first rounder Cole Tucker with the 24th pick, but spent the previous six seasons as a pitching coach in the minor leagues.
In May of 2008, Steele broke into the minor league coaching ranks with the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats as a midseason addition to the minor league club's staff. He stayed within the Pirates organization for the next five years as a pitching coach. He spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Single-A Short Season State College Spikes and then moved on to the High-A Bradenton Marauders in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, he spent the season with the Single-A Short Season Jamestown Jammers.
During his time as a minor league pitching coach, Steele mentored several young pitchers who are now pitching in the MLB. Some of the major league arms he has mentored are Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Brandon Cumpton, Casey Sadler, Vic Black, Phil Irwin, Duke Welker and Kyle McPherson. He played a vital role in selecting and signing Pirates draft picks and has gained a reputation for spotting young talent.
Prior to his time within the Pirates organization, Steele spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons at Michigan State as the Spartans' pitching coach. His collegiate coaching experience immediately followed his professional career. He spent six years in the minors as a relief pitcher after being
drafted in the 29th round of the 2000 draft by the Detroit Tigers.
He was a three-time All-Star in the minor leagues before undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the entire 2002 season. He racked up 23 saves with a 1.93 ERA between Single-A and High-A affiliates in 2001. After his surgery, Steele was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the Rule 5 draft and spent three years in their farm system and retired after the 2005 season.
Steele played collegiately for two seasons at Central Michigan University after spending his freshman year at St. Clair County Community College and his sophomore season at Grand Rapids Community College. He was a Junior College All-American as a pitcher and outfielder and an all-MAC second team pitcher at CMU.
He earned an associates degree in general business from Grand Rapids Community College in 1998 and a bachelor’s degree in sports management from Central Michigan in 2000.
He and his wife Lydia have four children, Maggie, Caleb, Merritt and Cullen.
