HEAD COACH DR. PATRICK MCGAHA
Dr. Patrick McGaha is in his 17th year as the head coach of the Harding baseball team. He has a 440-355 record in his first 16 seasons and has led the Bisons to 10 conference tournament appearances and its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
McGaha is the longest-tenured coach in the GAC and ranks in the top 50 in career victories among active NCAA Division II coaches.
McGaha has coached more games (795) and has more wins (440) than any other Harding baseball coach. He became the winningest baseball coach in program history in 2016 when his Bisons defeated St. Edward's 5-1 in the second game of the series.
During his time at Harding, McGaha's student-athletes have received 57 all-conference, 10 all-region, and three all-America honors. Additionally, McGaha's players have 96 academic all-conference, 10 CoSIDA Academic All-District and three CoSIDA Academic All-America awards.
Harding is one of only eight D-II schools to earn the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award six consecutive seasons, and Harding has won the GAC Sportsmanship Award five of the last eight seasons. In addition, McGaha's players have earned two GAC Freshman of the Year honors, two GAC Newcomer of the Year honors, one GAC Pitcher of the Year honor, one GAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year honor, seven GAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors and two GAC Elite Scholar Athlete honors.
In 2020, the Bisons were off to a promising 18-6 start to the season before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the season. McGaha picked up his 400th victory at Harding with a 5-2 win against Mississippi College in the opening series of the season.
In 2019, McGaha earned his 500th career collegiate coaching victory, had his fourth 30-win season at Harding and led the Bisons to the championship game of the Great American Conference Tournament.
In 2015, Harding's Jerry Moore Field received the ABCA College Field Maintenance Award for NCAA Division II.
Over the last eight seasons, McGaha's teams have been outstanding defensively not fielding below a .969 fielding percentage while placing in the top 25 in Division II in fielding percentage all eight seasons, including 2015, when Harding led Division II with a .977 percentage, and 2019 when Harding placed third, again with a .977 percentage. Additionally, following the 2021 season, senior Connor Kelly was awarded the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove recognizing him as the best shortstop in all of NCAA Division II.
In 2011, McGaha led Harding to its best season in program history. Harding set a school wins record with a 42-14 mark. The Bisons won their first Gulf South Conference West Division title and their first conference championship in baseball since 1984. Following the regular season, Harding received its first-ever at-large bid into the NCAA II Baseball Tournament. The Bisons beat Tampa in their first game at the national tournament and finished the season ranked 24th nationally.
McGaha won the 2011 GSC West Division Coach of the Year award.
In 2009, Harding recorded its fourth 30-win season and second under McGaha, going 32-25 and collecting its first GSC Tournament victory since 2002. At 12-9 in GSC West play, Harding also had its first winning season in conference action since going 14-9 in 2002.
In 2007, McGaha’s Bisons tied a school record with 34 wins. The squad finished 8-13 in Gulf South Conference West Division action and was in the playoff hunt until the final game of the season.
