Ryan Fecteau

Ryan Fecteau enters his seventh season on the Virginia Tech baseball coaching staff, having arrived in June 2017 and earned promotion to associate head coach, pitching in May 2022. Fecteau’s partnership with head coach John Szefc dates back seven seasons to the 2016-17 athletic year when he served as Szefc’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Maryland.

2022
Complimenting the Hammerin’ Hokies explosive offense, Fecteau again positioned Tech’s pitching staff among the best in the ACC as the program championed the league’s Coastal Division and the NCAA Blacksburg Regional, making a run to its first NCAA Super Regional. Achieving the conference’s best record (19-9), the Hokies led the league with their ACC-only 4.52 ERA, placing among the top 60 NCAA Division I programs in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.52 – 39th), cumulative ERA (4.41 – 42nd), strikeouts per nine innings (9.50 – 50th) and walks allowed per nine innings (3.75 – 53rd).
 
Fecteau’s rotation was accentuated by the emergence of freshman right-hander Drue Hackenberg, who tied for the second most wins among ACC pitchers (10) and boasted the league’s fifth lowest ERA (3.30). Hackenberg broke through during 2022 as both a two-time All-American and Freshman All-American, an All-ACC First Team selection, an ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team mention and a USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp invitee.
 
Alongside Hackenberg, Fecteau coached sophomore right-hander Griffin Green (7-3, 4.83 ERA) into the role of Tech’s series-opening starter, resulting in his 2022 All-ACC Third Team nod. Fecteau also witnessed two relievers ink pro contracts in right-hander Graham Firoved (MLB Draft 16th round) and right-hander Jordan Geber (undrafted signee).

2021
Returning to a full collegiate season in 2021, Fecteau led Tech’s pitching staff to a breakout year in command as the Hokies set the program record for strikeouts (562) – the third highest mark among ACC programs. Along the way, Tech’s hurlers staged a record-breaking strikeout performance against No. 25 North Carolina (March 5), racking up 21 strikeouts during the Hokies’ 10-6 victory at English Field.

With its elite 11.07 strikeouts per nine innings mark (another program record), Tech ranked seventh nationally among NCAA Division I programs. The Hokies also remained among the top six ACC staffs in team ERA (4.82) for the third consecutive season.

Under Fecteau’s tutelage, Tech witnessed three pitchers chosen during the 2021 MLB Draft – Shane Connolly (10th round), Chris Gerard (12th) and Anthony Simonelli (16th) – plus the free agent signing of Peyton Alford.

2020
After taking great strides on the mound during the 2019 season, Fecteau had Tech poised to repeat, if not improve, on its overall staff success. Completing 16 games before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the remainder of the 2020 campaign, the Hokies ranked among the top 50 programs nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (11.94 – ninth), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.30 – 26th) and ERA (3.05 – 48th).

Despite the shortened season, Tech caught glimpses of greatness from junior left-hander Ian Seymour, who logged a tie for the 18th most strikeouts nationally (40) with the fourth best strikeouts per nine innings clip (17.70). Seymour went on to collect 2020 All-American Third Team praise by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper – becoming the Hokies’ first All-American pitcher since 2003.

During the 2020 MLB Draft, Seymour came off the board early at No. 57 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays, then making him Tech’s seventh highest draft selection all-time. As a professional, Seymour would later be named the Rays’ Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August 2021.

2019
In 2019, Fecteau guided Tech to program-best, ACC-era marks by wide margins in a variety of statistical categories. Among them, the Hokies sported a .243 opposing batting average (previous best was .257 in 2012), 9.51 strikeouts per nine innings (8.72 in 2010), 428 hits allowed (474 in 2012), 237 runs allowed (263 in 2012), 207 unearned runs allowed (225 in 2012) and 28 hit batsmen (32 in 2005).

As a staff, Tech achieved its lowest ERA since the 1984 season (3.98), finishing 46th in the nation and third in the ACC. The Hokies’ arms combined to log 495 strikeouts – then the second most during the program’s ACC tenure – ranking among the top 40 teams nationally in both strikeouts and hits (8.22) per nine innings.

Behind sophomore Ian Seymour’s team leading season (3.97 ERA, 81 strikeouts), Fecteau’s 2019 staff produced two draft picks during the MLB Draft: Nick Enright (20th round) and Jack Dellinger (32nd). Enright crafted a 3.93 ERA, struck out 63 batters, issued 17 walks and kept opponents to a .210 batting average while Dellinger factored into three combined shutouts.

2018
Arriving in Blacksburg, Fecteau led Tech to its most strikeouts (462 overall, 236 against the ACC) since the program’s record-setting 2010 campaign. The Hokies also achieved their best ERA (5.60) and their first sub-.300 opposing batting average since 2015.

Growing its command, Tech ranked 77th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (8.56), calibrating at the time as the program’s second highest mark during its ACC tenure. Fecteau helped mentor two pitchers to selections during the 2018 MLB Draft in Andrew McDonald (ninth round) and Connor Coward (26th).

At Maryland
Prior to making it to Virginia Tech, Fecteau spent one season at Maryland with the Terrapins, though made an immediate impact while aiding in Brian Shaffer and Tyler Blohm’s national recognition. Shaffer was named the 2017 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and an All-American while Blohm was chosen as the 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, also gaining Freshman All-American praise.

During the 2017 season, Fecteau’s Maryland staff led the Big Ten in conference-only ERA (3.61), placing 61st nationally in overall ERA (3.98). The Terrapins finished the year ranked among the top 60 programs in five additional categories: walks allowed per nine innings (2.99 – 22nd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.81 – 22nd), WHIP (1.32 – 43rd), strikeouts per nine innings (8.40 – 58th) and shutouts (four – 60th, tie).

By season’s end, four Maryland pitchers garnered selection during the 2017 MLB Draft, highlighted by Shaffer’s sixth-round pick.

At Bryant
Success on the mound is nothing new for pitchers under Fecteau, as he had a successful six-year stint at Bryant while helping the Bulldogs to 226 victories, three NEC tournament titles and three NCAA Regional appearances. In 2016, Bryant won 47 games – the most regular season wins of any team in the country – and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional, the highest seed achieved across both program and NEC history.

The Bulldogs dominated the NEC while Fecteau managed the pitchers with five consecutive regular season titles and three 40-win seasons. Fecteau led his staff to the best ERA in the NEC four of the last five seasons he was on staff and top-25 national marks in 2012 (3.05 – 17th), 2013 (2.73 – 10th), 2014 (2.84 – 21st) and 2016 (3.22 – 22nd). In 2013, Bryant became the first team during NEC history to post a sub-3.00 team ERA.

Known for their strike-throwing ability, Fecteau’s groups at Bryant led the NEC in WHIP during five seasons and strikeouts per nine innings on three occasions.

Fecteau’s ability to develop pitchers started at Bryant, as eight Bulldogs hurlers he worked with during his time in Smithfield, Rhode Island, were selected during the MLB Draft – including 2014 fourth-round selection Kevin McAvoy, the school's highest drafted player all-time.

Another pitching success for Fecteau came in the form of right-hander James Karinchak, who followed his 2015 Freshman All-American season with his program-defining 2016 campaign, considered the best by a Bryant pitcher all-time. Karinchak – who was later selected during the ninth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians – earned All-America honors after setting program records in single season wins (12) and strikeouts (112).

Bryant boasted the NEC Pitcher of the Year four times and had 10 pitchers earn 16 all-conference honors during Fecteau’s tenure. Five of his products also received ABCA All-Region accolades.

Additional Coaching Experience
Fecteau’s previous coaching stops include St. Lawrence, USC Upstate and Southern Utah.

From 2008 to 2010, he was the head coach of the Haymarket Senators in Virginia's prestigious Valley Baseball League (VBL). He led the Senators to the 2009 VBL championship and was named the 2010 VBL Coach of the Year after guiding Haymarket to the regular season crown.

Profile
As a player, Fecteau starred at Saint Anselm and finished his career as the program leader in wins (20), innings pitched (312.0) and strikeouts (254). The Gilmanton, New Hampshire, native earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Saint Anselm in 2005 and a master’s degree in education from Saint Lawrence in 2007.

Fecteau is joined in Blacksburg by his wife, Catherine. They are the proud parents of three children: Kellan, Tessa and Elise.