Bobby Moranda Position: Associate Head Coach Alma Mater: Eastern Kentucky, 1986

Bobby Moranda has earned the reputation as one of the country’s most successful college baseball recruiters and pitching coaches during his 15 years coaching at the Division I level.

The 36-year old Moranda has coached in the Atlantic Coast Conference for the last 12 seasons, including the last six years at Wake Forest.

Moranda has been a part of the coaching staffs of three of the last five ACC Championship teams, including Wake Forest’s back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999. His contributions to the Demon Deacon program were rewarded over the summer when he earned the title of associate head coach.

Moranda was recognized by Baseball America in January 2001 as one of the country’s “Rising Stars” in the coaching ranks.

After helping lay the groundwork for his first two seasons at Wake Forest as the program’s top assistant coach, the Demon Deacons won back-to-back ACC Championships in 1998 and 1999.

Moranda has helped build the Demon Deacon program into one of the best in the nation through his recruiting efforts and his on-field work with the Wake Forest pitching staff. His recruiting classes have annually been ranked among the nation’s top classes while his pitching staffs have attracted national attention from both collegiate baseball experts and professional scouts.

Moranda’s recruiting efforts at Wake Forest has resulted in four Freshman All-Americans, Mike MacDougal in 1997, Danny Borrell and Corey Slavik in 1998 and most recently, Ben Clayton in 2000.

In 1998, the Demon Deacon pitching staff attracted national attention by throwing five complete games in the six-game ACC tournament. The strong performances helped Wake Forest win the 1998 ACC Championship and advance to the NCAA South I Regional.

Moranda and the Deacs followed that 1998 performance with a five game sweep through the 1999 ACC Tournament and a trip to the NCAA Super Regionals. Moranda has been a part of six conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances as either a player or a coach.

A core of pitchers posted strong seasons in 2000 including lefty Danny Borrell who was a second round pick of the Yankees. Scott Siemon earned first team All-ACC honors and Ben Clayton was named freshman All-American.

The ace of the 1999 staff, Mike MacDougal led the ACC in victories and became the second player in school history to be drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft when he was selected by Kansas City.

The ace of the 1998 staff, John Hendricks, set school records for victories, innings pitched and complete games under Moranda’s direction. Hendricks led the ACC and ranked third nationally in victories en route to earning first-team All-America honors while throwing 10 straight complete games.

Moranda’s 2001 Wake Forest pitching staff is also drawing considerable attention. Siemon, Clayton and Cape Cod League All-Star and summer All-American Dave Bush all return, giving the Demon Deacons another strong arsenal of pitchers.

Moranda’s experience with top pitchers extends back to his days at the University of Virginia, where from 1990 to 1995 he helped lay the groundwork as recruiting coordinator that led to the Cavaliers 1996 ACC Championship team.

During his six years in Charlottesville as Virginia’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, the Cavs produced more professional players than the program’s previous 100 years combined.

Prior to Moranda’s arrival, Virginia had never produced a first-round draft pick or a first-team collegiate All-American. By 1996, however, the Cavaliers had two first round picks and two first-team All-Americans.

Moranda’s star pupils and recruits were outfielder Brian Buchannan and pitcher Seth Greisinger. Buchannan is on the Minnesota Twins roster and Greisinger, who starred on the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, reached the Major Leagues in 1998 with the Detroit Tigers.

The other top pitchers now playing professionally that Moranda has recruited or coached includes Major Leaguer Doug Johns, Frank Lankford (Dodgers), Jason Sekany (Red Sox), Pat Danaker (White Sox) and Sean DePaula (Indians).

Buchannan, Johns and Lankford were all undrafted out of high school. Greisinger (6th round out of high school) and Danaker (40th round) both significantly improved their Major League draft status after working with Moranda.

As a player, Moranda was an All-Region performer at Harper CC in Illinois and was part of back-to-back championship teams before accepting a scholarship to Eastern Kentucky.

He batted .307 with 20 home runs and 86 RBI in two seasons at Eastern Kentucky, helping the Colonels win two consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championships and a top-30 national ranking.

The Colonels made two consecutive NCAA Regional appearances during Moranda’s playing career. The Colonels were two games away from advancing to Omaha for the College World Series in 1985.

After gaining his undergraduate degree in broadcast management, Moranda stayed at Eastern Kentucky as an assistant coach for three years while working toward his master’s degree in recreation administration. The team made another NCAA Regional appearance during his tenure.

During that time, Moranda also coached an American Legion summer team in Palatine that featured future Major League All-Star catcher Todd Hundley.

More than a decade later, Moranda is excited about developing other potential Major League players and building a College World Series contender at Wake Forest.

“Wake Forest is one of the few places in college baseball today where a student-athlete can receive one of the best educations in the country, play in a top-20 program and compete in a great league like the Atlantic Coast Conference,” says Moranda.

Moranda and his wife Pamela have been married for eight years and their daughter Taylor Jade turns three in the spring.