University of Toledo Athletics

    Josh Bradford is in his 14th season as an assistant coach at the University of Toledo. Bradford is entering his 12th season as a full-time assistant after working for two seasons as the volunteer assistant in 2004-05. He serves as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He also organizes Toledo’s annual Toledo Baseball Coaches Clinic.

    Under Bradford’s guidance, eight Rocket hurlers have earned All-MAC honors on 13 occasions. In addition, a total of 13 Toledo pitchers have been selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft under his tutelage, and 16 more have signed as free agents. Since his arrival, Toledo has had 10 seasons with at least 300 strikeouts, including a school-record 397 in 2018. There were four such seasons prior to Bradford becoming the pitching coach. Four of the top five strikeout seasons in Toledo history have come under his watch. 

    The 2012 team captured the first MAC West title in school history, and the pitching was a big reason why. In addition to setting the single-season strikeout record, the Rockets’ 3.92 ERA was the lowest since 1984.

    Five pitchers have earned first-team All-MAC under Bradford: Matt Kuna (2012), Lincoln Rassi (2012), Ryan Wilkinson (2013), Steven Calhoun (2015), and Sam Shutes (2018). Kuna was named to the American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA) All-District team in 2012, and Shutes earned ABCA All-Region distinctions in 2018. Bradford has coached six pitchers to second-team All-MAC honors: Kuna (2009), Wilkinson (2012,  14), Mike Hamann (2010), Matt Suschak (2010), Cameron Palmer (2015), and Ross Achter (2016-17).    

    Bradford has also been instrumental in the recruiting process, consistently securing some of the top recruiting classes in the Midwest.

     At West Georgia from 2006-07, Bradford was responsible for all aspects of the Wolves’ pitching staff, as well as recruiting, scheduling, travel arrangements, conditioning and field maintenance, as well as pitch development and mechanics.

   In 2007, Bradford helped mentor the Wolves’ RHP Jordan Towns to second-team all-conference honors. At season’s end, Towns became the first West Georgia player to be drafted in the Major League Baseball draft since 1994.

     During his first stint at Toledo, Bradford’s main responsibilities were working with the outfielders, directing the Toledo baseball camps and coordinating team travel. He also served as the first base coach, bullpen coach and bench coach during games. 

         Bradford also worked as an assistant coach at Kentucky Wesleyan. During the summer of 2003, he was the pitching coach for the Danville Dans of the Central Illinois Collegiate Wooden Bat League. He helped guide the Dans to a league championship with a league-record 1.78 team ERA. Bradford finished his bachelor’s degree in physical education at Kentucky Wesleyan in 2002.

    A native of Hutchinson, Kan., Bradford played his first two collegiate seasons at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Xavier University.

    He was a two-year starter for the Musketeers, where he was Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year and first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection in 1996. The Blue Jays drafted him in the 15th round following his senior year. Bradford spent four seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays organization reaching Triple-A.

     He is married to former Toledo women’s basketball assistant coach Tandy Bradford (2003-05). Tandy is the assistant athletic director and girls’ varsity basketball coach at St. Ursula. The couple has a son, Blake.