Brent McNeil - Assistant Coach (5th season) - Baseball Coaches

Photo by: Rachel Von Art

Brent McNeil

Title:
Assistant Coach (5th season)
Email:
bsmcneil@pfw.edu
Phone:
(260) 481-5455

Brent McNeil is in his sixth season as the Mastodons' pitching coach in 2025. He also serves as the program's recruiting coordinator.

2024 saw Kevin Fee earn the Horizon League’s Reliever of the Year. Fee set a program record for career pitching appearances with 90. Fee’s 2024 ranks in the Horizon League: ERA (second, 3.48), wins (third, 7) and saves (third, 5). Fee earned one Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honor in 2024.

As recruiting coordinator, he's helped recruit seven student-athletes who have earned All-Horizon League honors. Braedon Blackford was named to the first team in 2023 and Kevin Fee picked up the same honor in 2024. Rex Stills took home All-Freshman Team honors in 2022 before Justin Osterhouse earned the honor in 2024. He also recruited Jacob Myer, who was named the department's male athlete of the year in 2021.

Myer is one of four student-athletes at Purdue Fort Wayne to move on to professional play under McNeil. Myer, Justin Miller and Braedon Blackford each signed with the State College Spikes of the MLB Draft League in July 2023. Kevin Fee signed with the Joliet Slammers in 2024.

Several pitching school records have been rewritten under McNeil. The 407 strikeouts the 'Dons recorded in 2023 are the most in program history for a single season. The 'Dons totaled 369 strikeouts in 2022, fourth most in program history. Justin Miller finished with 221 career strikeouts, first in program history. On April 4, 2023 the 'Dons totaled 15 strikeouts in a game, tying a program record for single-game strikeouts. Carter Sabol and Mac Ayres each started 15 times in 2024, tying a Division I era school record for single-season starts.

McNeil's pitching staff helped the 'Dons to a win over No. 20 Indiana (2024), Michigan State (2023) and Michigan (2022).

In 2021, Miller recorded 12 strikeouts against Milwaukee. It was the most strikeouts for a Mastodon pitcher in a game since San Diego Padres draft pick Evan Miller fanned 13 in a game in 2015. Also in 2021, Myer allowed three or fewer earned runs in seven starts. He went the distance in a shutout of Youngstown State and struck out nine against Northern Kentucky.

McNeil saw Tyler Kissinger earn a Summit League Pitcher of the Week honor in the shortened 2020 campaign.

Prior to joining the Mastodons, McNeil served as the head coach of the Lafayette Aviators, a summer college baseball league in the Prospect League in Lafayette, Indiana. He was the team's first head coach and recruited over 120 players to Lafayette. McNeil oversaw all facets of the team including on-field organization, travel, meals and youth camps. He assisted with the sale of advertisements and the coordination of host families. His 2017 team won the Prospect League Championship.

Former Mastodon pitchers Tyler Kissinger, Chase Phelps, Cameron Boyd and Brandon Phelps played under McNeil for the Aviators.

McNeil served as the pitching coach at NCAA Division I member North Florida in 2016 and 2017. His pitchers led the Atlantic Sun Conference in ERA both seasons, compiling a 3.68 mark in 2016 and a 3.60 mark in 2017. They ranked in the top 50 in ERA in the nation both seasons and helped the Ospreys to a 71-43 combined record. The Ospreys recorded a program-best 438 strikeouts in 2017 and program-low .263 batting average in 2016. Seven of his student-athletes went on to pitch professionally.

Prior to North Florida, McNeil served as the director of baseball operations and camp coordinator at Division I Indiana State from July 2014 to January 2016. He managed the department's recruiting database, assisted with practice, video breakdown of pitchers and placement of players on summer teams in addition to his camp duties.

He served as the pitching coach for the Prospect League member Danville Dans in 2014 and was the associate head coach/pitching coach in the spring of 2014 for Lake Land College. It was at Lake Land where he coached former Mastodon pitcher Mitchell Ley.

McNeil played collegiately at Eastern Illinois. He finished 46th in the nation in ERA in 2011 with a 2.18 mark. It was the fifth-lowest single-season ERA in program history. His 3.89 career ERA was the eighth-best in program history. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and sports studies in 2011. He also played at Lincoln Trail Community College.