Radnor – John McGillian, formerly an assistant coach at Upper Darby, has been selected as the new head baseball coach at Radnor High School. McGillian, 28, replaces Jason Sherlock who spent four years at the helm before departing this semester to accept an administrative position at Bayard Rustin.
McGillian is the second head coach this year to be hired by Radnor from Upper Darby. Current Radnor football coach Tom Ryan also coached at Upper Darby and Ryan just completed his first season as the Red Raiders’ gridiron coach.
“I was very excited to get the opportunity,” said McGillian. “The entire (interview) process went well and very quick. I think the committee did a great job interviewing the candidates and they were very fair.”
McGillian played four years of baseball and football at Upper Darby where he was graduated in 1997. He then went on to play baseball at Albright College where he was nationally ranked in E.R.A. in Division III. After playing in the Delco League for the Upper Darby Blue Sox, McGillian embarked on a coaching career that has included stints at St. Laurence and Monsignor Bonner before joining the Royals four years ago.
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At Radnor, McGillian plans to emphasize fundamentals. “Being prepared and having the coaching staff teaching the same fundamentals, techniques, and strategies is as important as the athletes playing the game. Hopefully, the athletes retain it and put it to use on the playing field.”
Radnor should have a veteran club this year with having lost only two starters from last year’s squad that finished 9-11 and was fifth in the Central League. The Red Raiders return senior starters Brooks Bentz, Mark Ducceschi, Ryan Kraus, Sean Grimes, Andrew Rufo, and Drew Mohoric along with underclassmen Marcus von Hertsenberg and Spencer Holm. “We have a solid nucleus of seniors returning to the lineup as well as a great core of juniors and sophomores who will be pushing for some starting roles. They are smart, fundamentally sound, and confident in their abilities. It is my job to get them to rise above what they have already achieved.”
The Red Raider baseball players have already seen some changes and they aren’t just in the new uniforms that they will sport this season. There are optional workouts three nights per week and pitchers and catchers have already begun throwing at 6 AM workouts. McGillian agreed that Radnor baseball is going through a significant transition. “It’s just as difficult for the players to get used to me as it is for me to get used to them, but a strong point of the Radnor baseball team is that the athletes are coachable."
From his initial observations and discussions with returning assistant coach Kyle Shilcock-Elliott, McGillian believes that the strength of this year’s team is going to be its pitching and defense, but its hitting will ultimately determine its success. “We are going to need to place runs on the scoreboard to be at the top of the league at the end of the year.”
Looking around the league, the new Radnor skipper stated that Conestoga and Haverford are always talented, but McGillian believes that Ridley and Upper Darby will also be very good thanks to a strong returning pitching staff. Then there’s Marple Newtown. The Tigers were the state runners-up in AAA last year and they will be returning a lot of senior talent.
“As a new head coach in the Central League, you have to be humble in what you wish for because the talent levels across the league are always high,” said McGillian. “I want to be known as a disciplined and aggressive coach that will always take the blame for the loss, however will always credit the athletes for the wins.”
