Varsity Baseball

Donnie McKillop joined Loomis Chaffee in 2017 as assistant athletic director, head varsity baseball coach, and assistant football coach. On campus Donnie is the head of Warham Hall, where he lives with his wife, Katy; their son, Trace; and their daughters, Phoebe, Virginia, and Betty. 

Donnie came to the Island after a season as an assistant football coach at Amherst College, which was preceded by a year as an assistant baseball coach at his alma mater, Middlebury College. Prior to Middlebury, Donnie was a graduate assistant football coach at Springfield College, where he coached the secondary and linebackers as well as interning in the Athletic Departments of Amherst and Dartmouth. From 2011 to 2014 Donnie taught history at Williston Northampton, where he also coached baseball, football, and basketball.

Donnie is a 2011 graduate of Middlebury, where he started all four-years on the baseball and football teams, serving as captain of both programs. He earned All-New England Small College Athletic Conference honors as a third baseman in 2009 and 2010. As a two-year captain for Middlebury baseball, he also led the team to a NESCAC playoff berth in 2011 and still holds the record for most doubles in a career.

On the football field Donnie quarterbacked the 2007 NESCAC championship team for Middlebury and was All NESCAC, Rookie of the Year in 2007, and Player of the Year in 2009. He graduated as the Panthers’ highest rated passer and remains atop most passing statistical categories in the program’s history. Donnie earned Middlebury’s Bayard Russ '66 Memorial Athletic Award, given to the senior who is most outstanding in two intercollegiate sports exemplifying the excellence of performance, aggressiveness, leadership, tremendous desire, and team spirit of A. Bayard Russ.

Donnie’s favorite element of athletics is the relationships built by the practice of sport, sharing common goals, and pursuing them relentlessly with teammates.

Matt joined the Loomis Chaffee baseball program at the end of 2021, working primarily with hitters, catchers, and infielders. Off campus, Matt is an assistant coach for the New Britain Bees in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, and manages a commercial coffee roaster andmanufacturer in Windsor.

Matt is a 2015 graduate of Bryant University, where he played 94 games as a corner infielder under head coach Steve Owens. The Bulldogs boasted an overall record of 149-80 and a conference record of 87-25 during his tenure. Bryant won the Northeast Conference regular season all four years and advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament in 2013 and 2014. The Bulldogs took down Arkansas in the 2013 Manhattan Regional at Kansas State and competed in the 2014 Baton Rouge Regional at Louisiana State University.

Prior to college ball, Matt lettered in baseball and football at Guilderland High School in New York state. Matt had a historic career with the Flying Dutchmen, finishing with a Section II single-season record 18 home runs, the second most in New York state history.  As a senior, he led Guilderland to a Class AA Section II championship, Class AA Eastern New York regional championship and the Class AA New York state finals. Matt was named First Team All-State by the New York Sportswriters Association, the Suburban Council Player of the Year, and the Albany Times Union Large School Athlete of the Year.  Between high school and college, Matt did a post-graduate year at Northfield Mount Hermon, where he captained the Hoggers andearned Central New England Prep School All-League honors.

Matt’s favorite parts of coaching baseball are the aspects that translate into everyday life. Lessons learned through athletics about perseverance, teamwork, accountability, and commitment have become pillars for a successful business career and beyond.

Burns was a highly decorated collegiate athlete playing collegiately at Southern Connecticut State and upon graduation, at Division 2 powerhouse Franklin Pierce University. 

After his playing career, he began coaching at Division 2 Post University in Waterbury, CT where the team was CACC North Division Champions and earned a CACC playoff berth.  He then moved on to Division 1 Sacred Heart University where he coached for two seasons guiding several players to earn All-Conference recognition and an NEC playoff berth.  He was also active on the collegiate summer circuit where he was an assistant coach with the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League in 2016.  In 2017 he managed the Rome Generals of the New York Collegiate Baseball League and in 2018 he took over as the General Manager of the Adirondack Trail Blazers of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.  

Aside from his involvement in the collegiate game, Burns spent three years as the Director of Baseball Operations at The Clubhouse building numerous nationally ranked travel baseball teams and helping countless players earn commitments to continue playing baseball at the college level. 

Currently, Burns is the owner of Atlantic Coast Performance, a baseball performance facility located in East Hartford, Connecticut.  He also owns MVP New England, a travel baseball organization focusing on player development, college placement, and college preparation.  

Andrew Wood joined the Island in 2022 as a math teacher, an assistant varsity baseball coach, and as an assistant skit coach. As a four-year varsity athlete in high school at Wilbraham Monson Academy, Andrew developed a deep love and passion for the game. His dedication led him to continue his baseball career in college, where he played for Tufts University as a left-handed pitcher.

Andrew's commitment to both academics and athletics earned him Academic All-NESCAC Honors.

As a coach, Andrew is passionate about developing new pitchers on the team, sharing the knowledge he has gained throughout his career to help players unlock their full potential on the mound. His years of experience have given him a deep understanding of the technical and mental aspects of pitching, and he uses this knowledge to help his players build confidence, develop strong mechanics, and master the mental game of baseball.

Andrew is committed to creating a positive, supportive environment for his players, where hard work and dedication are rewarded, and a love of the game is fostered. He believes that baseball is about more than just winning games; it's about developing young athletes into strong, confident individuals who can carry the lessons they learn on the field with them throughout their lives.