Catfish add OVC coaching legend as 2025 manager

The Cape Catfish found a new manager for the 2025 summer season, as the club announced the hiring of former longtime Austin Peay coach Gary McClure on Friday.

“This is a big deal for our program,” Catfish general manager Mark Hogan said in a news release. “Gary and I go way back as we battled for years when I was head coach at SEMO and he was at Austin Peay. Every time we played those guys, we knew if we didn’t bring our A game, we’d get our tails kicked. There aren’t too many better in the college game than coach McClure.”

McClure coached Austin Peay from 1988–2015, leading the Governors to 13 conference championships and six NCAA Tournament appearances. With 847 wins, he is the winningest coach in both school history and Ohio Valley Conference baseball history. He was inducted into the Austin Peay Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.

McClure is no stranger to the Prospect League. He led the Kokomo Jackrabbits to the 2018 championship with a 39-24 record. He also managed the Burlington Bees during their first year in the league in 2021.

“Not a whole lot to add to that Bio,” Catfish president Glenn Campbell said in a news release. “When Mark Hogan came to me a few weeks ago and said he had gotten a call from coach McClure about coming to Cape and coaching the Catfish I thought he was kidding. To say we’re excited is an understatement. I have talked to him a few times on the phone and am looking forward to meeting him and his wife Amy in person sometime soon.”

McClure replaces Phil Butler as the new Cape Catfish manager. Butler led the Catfish to the Prospect League playoffs with a 31-25 record after a second-half surge.

The Catfish also recently announced the addition of Harding University junior Nathan Bowie and Lee University junior JJ Williams, who will be returning to the Catfish for a second season.