Hometown: Ankeny, Iowa

Birthdate: Apil 26, 1961

Education: B.S., Sam Houston State, 1984

Coaching: Asst. Coach, Iowa State, 1987-88 Asst. Coach, Richmond, 1988-00 Asst. Coach, VCU, 2000-

Now in his sixth season as a member of the Virginia Commonwealth baseball staff, Mark McQueen has earned a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and highly-respected coaches in the Colonial Athletic Association as well as the city of Richmond.

   McQueen holds the role of pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the Rams and is well-regarded as an outstanding developer of young arms. Fourteen of his pitching pupils have been selected in Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft in the past 11 years, and a total of 21 hurlers have gone on to play professional baseball under McQueen’s tutelage.

   McQueen arrived at Virginia Commonwealth in August 2000, after serving the previous 12 years as the pitching coach and head recruiter at the University of Richmond.  McQueen played a integral role in the success of the Rams’ intracity rival, as Richmond won 61 percent of its games during McQueen’s tenure and made four NCAA tournament appearances (1995, 1997, 1998, 1999) during a five-year span. McQueen also helped the Spiders capture the 1997 and 1998 CAA tournament championships, and Richmond reached the conference title game seven times during his 12 seasons. 

   Since crossing town to VCU, McQueen has been a key part of three-straight NCAA tournament teams as well as the two season’s CAA tournament championship. In his first year with the Rams, McQueen’s pitching staff ranked among the national leaders in earned run average, and his VCU teams have posted the school’s two lowest ERA in a single year since 1989. In 2003, Collegiate Baseball named McQueen National Pitching Coach of the Year after guiding the Rams to a national best and single season school record of 2.54 earned run average.

   A native of Ankeny, Iowa, McQueen is a 1984 graduate of Sam Houston State University and a former pitcher for the Bearkats.  He compiled a 13-5 record on the mound in two seasons at Sam Houston State, including a perfect 7-0 mark during his senior campaign.  McQueen also attended Iowa Western Community College for two years and competed in the 1980 Junior College World Series.

   After graduating from Sam Houston State with a degree in business administration, McQueen signed with the Detroit Tigers organization and pitched one season for the Tri-City Triplets of the Northwest League.  After being forced out of baseball due to an elbow injury, McQueen started his coaching career at Iowa State as an assistant coach.  He spent one season on the Cyclones’ staff before coming to Richmond and also worked two years at the Cyclone Midwest Baseball School as the Assistant Director of Operations and a pitching instructor.

   McQueen and his wife, Michelle, reside in Richmond and have two children, Travis and Tara.