Justin McMurtrey enters his fifth season as the Associate Head Coach, Pitching Coach, and Co-Recruiting Coordinator for the Saginaw Valley State University baseball program. Since arriving in University Center, McMurtrey has engineered one of the most dominant and record-shattering pitching staffs in the GLIAC and NCAA Division II.
Under McMurtrey’s guidance, the Cardinal pitching staff has established a relentless standard of development and championship performance. During the 2026 campaign, McMurtrey’s arms helped secure the program's fourth consecutive winning season (26-25). SVSU saw three pitchers claim All-GLIAC honors, highlighted by Jack Decker earning First-Team Reliever recognition, alongside starting pitchers Brady Young and Nathan Masar earning Second-Team All-GLIAC honors. The 2026 season also featured a historic performance on the mound when freshman Jack Sequin threw just the second SVSU no-hitter of the 21st century in only his second career collegiate start.
The accomplishments of 2026 built upon a historic 2025 campaign in which the Cardinals finished 30-22, securing the program's second-most wins in a season since 2008. McMurtrey’s staff racked up 457 strikeouts, breaking the program's single-season strikeout record for the third consecutive year. The staff also demonstrated elite late-game execution, setting a school record with 17 team saves to break a 30-year-old record set in 1995. The staff's dominance was anchored by closer Jake Shelagowski, who earned All-GLIAC honors before being selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the MLB Draft—the highest draft pick in SVSU program history. Additionally, starter Jack Decker earned Second-Team All-GLIAC honors after anchoring the rotation with a team-high 9 wins, 73.0 innings pitched, and 70 strikeouts, while JJ Arbini claimed All-Conference recognition behind a spectacular 2.10 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.
During SVSU's legendary, championship-winning 2024 season, McMurtrey’s pitching staff was the backbone of a historic 41-18 campaign (23-7 GLIAC) that culminated in the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Midwest Super Regionals. The staff logged a school-record 487.0 innings pitched and registered 433 strikeouts. The historic run was highlighted by two-way superstar Hayden Jatczak’s stellar performances on the bump—including throwing a rare no-hitter—and a dominant freshman campaign from Chase Raymond.
In his debut season in 2023, McMurtrey executed a swift and massive turnaround of the Cardinal pitching staff, helping SVSU secure its highest win total since 2007. Under his watch, the staff lowered its team ERA by over three runs per game, dropped its batting average against by 50 points, and set a then-school record with 410 strikeouts. He guided two pitchers to All-GLIAC recognition (Tyler McLaren-1st Team, Hunter Merillat-2nd Team), with McLaren also capturing ABCA All-Region honors. In total, ten Cardinal pitchers established career-low ERAs and career-high strikeout totals in their first year under his instruction.
Through his first four seasons with the program, McMurtrey's elite recruiting and player development systems have consistently produced highly decorated talent at every level. To date, he has helped recruit and develop one All-American, 12 All-Region selections, 28 All-GLIAC award winners, one National Player of the Year, one GLIAC Player of the Year, and one GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
Prior to SVSU, McMurtrey served as the Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Culver-Stockton College, where he oversaw the pitching staff, directed recruiting efforts, and managed day-to-day operations.
McMurtrey enjoyed a stellar playing career, starting at Butte Community College in Chico, California, before transferring to Eastern Michigan University. At EMU, he was a key weekend starter for the Eagles, helping lead the program to back-to-back MAC Tournament appearances for the first time in over 20 years. In 2017, he led the Eagles' staff with 25 appearances as a versatile swingman before stepping into a full-time starting role as a senior in 2018, finishing second on the team in ERA, innings pitched, and wins, while leading the staff in K:BB ratio.
McMurtrey resides in Saginaw with his wife, Allison, and their daughter, Madison.
