Tommy Winterstein enters his first year as pitching coach for the Patriots for the 2025 season.
Winterstein joins the Patriots after spending the 2024 season on the staff at the University of Dayton. Last season, he helped lead the Flyers to their most wins in a season since 2009. Dayton ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference in strikeouts and fifth in ERA.
Under the guidance of Winterstein, pitcher Nick Wissman became the first Flyer in program history to earn Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year honors. Wissman was also selected A-10 First Team Relief Pitcher and to the conference All-Academic Team and became Dayton's first two-time All-American pitcher. He finished the season 11-1, one victory off the all-time Flyers record for wins in a season, notched seven saves, posted a 2.93 ERA and struck out 64 batters in his 25 appearances. A total of six Flyers were recognized on All-Conference and All-Academic Teams last season.
Prior to his stint with the Flyers, Winterstein spent two seasons (2021-23) as the pitching coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. As one of the top prep schools in the country, Winterstein worked as the post-graduate level pitching coordinator. The team won 33 games in 2022 and held a .692 winning percentage in 2023. In his tenure, numerous players went on to pitch at the Division I level and seven were selected in the MLB Draft. Winterstein also worked with current minor league and major league pitchers during the off season and leading up to spring training.
Â
Winterstein was the pitching coach for two seasons at the University of Toledo (2020-21) where his pitching staff set the single-season record for strikeouts (403) in 2021 while also tripling its conference wins to leap from last place to 4th place in the MAC standings. He also mentored the 2021 MAC Player of the Year, a pitcher/first baseman drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round. While with the Rockets, Winterstein developed five pitchers who went on to play professionally, including seventh round and 17th round draft picks in the MLB Draft.
Winterstein also spent three seasons at Western Kentucky (2017-19) as the program's volunteer assistant coach and camp director, where he helped lead the Hilltoppers to their first ever Conference USA Tournament appearance in 2019. In addition to his pitching duties, he assisted with catchers and outfielders. The Hilltoppers boasted an All-American outfielder and Conference USA's first triple crown winner, who was selected by the New York Yankees in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Winterstein helped develop a Johnny Bench Award Finalist in each of his three years, served as the assistant to the strength and conditioning coach and led all workouts while the team was on the road. During his time at Western Kentucky, he coached three pitchers who went on to play professionally, including a 10th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Angels in the ÂÂ2018 MLB Draft. As camp director, Winterstein set new attendance records in each year he was there.
Winterstein graduated from Charleston Southern University where he began his coaching career as a student assistant as well as the Director of Player Development for the 2016 season upon graduation. While with the Buccaneers, he helped produce a 17th round selection by the Chicago Cubs in the 2017 MLB Draft.
As a former two-way division one baseball player, Tommy Winterstein joins the Patriot's baseball program with 12 years of college baseball experience.Â
