Connor Kaden joins the Tom Sox for his first season as pitching coach. Kaden comes to Charlottesville from Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he was the student assistant coach for Wake Forest in 2019. Kaden played at Wake Forest from 2012-14 before being selected in the MLB Draft in the 27th round by the San Francisco Giants and completing a four-year professional career. He will complete his degree in Communications while assisting with the Demon Deacon pitching staff.
In four years as a professional, he finished with a 17-9 record and 3.45 ERA in 116 outings, also tallying seven saves and striking out 197 batters in 226.2 innings. He saved his best season for last, as he notched an 8-1 record and 2.98 ERA in 2017. Kaden didn’t have an ERA over 3.75 in any of his four pro seasons.
At Wake Forest, he had a career 3-6 record and 4.21 ERA in 47 outings, making 16 starts. He was much improved after an up-and-down freshman season, recording ERAs of 3.56 as a sophomore and 3.52 as a junior. He struck out 87 batters in 202.2 innings, and opponents hit just .246 against him as a Deacon.
Now with his Wake Forest degree completed, he hopes to become a collegiate pitching coach.