Alex McClure was named to the position of the volunteer assistant coach for the Arkansas State baseball squad on July 29, 2015 and is now entering his second year for the team.
McClure is the team's infield coach and also coached first base. He has a number of other responsibilities that include field maintenance, overseeing camps, making social media posts, and throwing batting practice.
The team's infielders registered a .959 fielding percentage during the 2016 campaign and also turned 49 of the team's 52 double plays, which ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference and 44th in the nation. The 52 double plays are the fifth most in school history.
McClure came to A-State after serving as a coach and trainer with Diamond Dreams Sports Coaching in Sydney, Australia.
Prior to joining Diamond Dreams Sports Coaching, McClure was an assistant baseball coach and trainer at Rossview High School in Clarksville, Tenn., for a season. He worked with the junior varsity and varsity teams coaching infield, hitting, speed training, weightlifting, and mental preparation. He helped the RHS varsity team win the region championship and sub-state appearance.
A native of Clarksville, Tenn., McClure played collegiately at Walters State Junior College in 2008 and Vanderbilt in 2009, where he hit .378 in 29 games as a sophomore infielder, before transferring to Middle Tennessee State prior to the 2010 season. McClure sat out the season due to NCAA transfer rules, but was drafted in the 11th round by the Kansas City Royals.
A second baseman/shortstop by trade, McClure advanced as high as Double-A Northwest Arkansas within the Royals’ organization in 2012 before doing the same during the 2013 season. He was traded to the Miami Marlins during the 2013 season and got to the team’s Double-A affiliate, the Jacksonville Suns, before retiring from professional baseball. During his pro career he hit 36 doubles, stole 44 bases, had 89 RBIs, and registered a .969 fielding percentage in 342 games.
McClure graduated from Middle Tennessee State in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in organizational communication. He was on the dean’s list at MTSU in the fall and spring of 2010, while also earning the Blue Raiders’ “Bust Your Butt” Award in 2010. He was also honored with the 2012 Mike Sweeney Award, which recognizes a player who best represents the organization on and off the field.
