Doug Willey - Baseball Coach - Xavier University Athletics

Doug Willey

Title:
Pitching Coach
Email:
willeyd1@xavier.edu
Phone:
513.745.1962

Doug Willey joined Xavier Baseball's coaching staff in September 2022. Willey joins the Musketeers as the pitching coach after spending three years as an MILB pitching coach in the Cubs organization.

In his first season with the Musketeers, Willey helped coach the Musketeers to a 39-25 overall record and program's fourth BIG EAST Championship and fifth NCAA bid in 2023, where the Musketeers advanced to the Nashville Regional Finals. Xavier finished the season with a team ERA of 4.55 with a school-record 491 strikeouts after a pair of Musketeers, Brant Alazaus and Ethan Bosacker, posted 100 K seasons.

With the Cubs organization, Willey oversaw the day-to-day development of the pitching staff, working with players from the Rookie Level up through current Major League players. He utilized Pitching Lab and technologies to assist in developing individualized player plans and to monitor progress through the entirety of a season. Willey was also responsible for creating throwing schedules and throwing programs for the pitching staff.

Prior to his time with the Cubs organization, Willey was a graduate assistant at the University of Arkansas, where he was a part of the staff that led the Razorbacks to the 2019 College World Series. During his time there, Willey assisted pitching coach Matt Hobbs in developing the Arkansas pitching staff, developed scouting reports on opposing teams, developed a system of in-house pitching analytics used to help develop pitchers, and helped create individual player plans. He was also the bullpen coach during the season.

As a player, Willey was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2016 MLB First Year Players Draft by the Los Angeles Angels out of Arkansas, and spent two seasons playing professionally. As a senior at the University of Arkansas, Willey made 26 appearances out of the bullpen, allowing just 11 earned runs through 28.1 innings pitched, and striking out 29 while only nine walks.

Prior to his time as a Razorback, Willey played for Franklin Pierce University, where he finished his career as a Raven ranked first all-time in program history in appearances (61), and was tied for the program record in single season appearances (26, 2014). He collected 20 saves in his time at Franklin Pierce, and helped the team to an appearance in the 2013 DII College World Series.

Willey was twice named to the Tino Martinez Player of the Year Award Watch List and won two Cape Cod Baseball League Champions with Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Willey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Franklin Pierce in 2015, and is earning a Masters in Education from the University of Arkansas.