Mike Kinkade returns for his second season with ACU Baseball.
A standout from Washington State University, Kinkade was a utility player who went on to play in the MLB from 1998-2003 for the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers. He recorded a .256 batting average and 13 home runs while in the MLB and was a member of the USA Baseball Team that won gold at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 2004, Kinkade played for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan.
A few years passed before Kinkade transitioned into coaching, joining the Seattle Mariners' coaching staff for four years (2011-2014). He left the organization to spend more time with his family before taking up coaching again in 2019, where he spent a year as assistant coach for CSU Bakersfield. With the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the season, Kinkade decided to find an opportunity elsewhere.
He ultimately discovered his current position at ACU because of conversations with Matt Magill, a pitching coach with ACU Baseball for the 2023 season. Kinkade also had a past connection with Coach McDonald, having played high school baseball with McDonald's brother. Once through the interview process, the decision to come aboard was an easy one.
