Jim Toman

Jim Toman (born November 28, 1961) is an American college baseball coach who has been the head coach of Liberty since the 2008 season. Under Toman, Liberty has qualified for two NCAA Tournaments.^[1]

Playing career

Toman, a 1985 graduate of NC State, played baseball for the Wolfpack from 1981–1984. He served as a team captain in 1983 and 1984 and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 1984 ACC Tournament.^[1] His teammates included Doug Davis, Dan Plesac, Doug Strange, and Tracy Woodson. (When Woodson became the head coach at Richmond ahead of the 2014 season, the two coached against each other.^[2])

Coaching career

Assistant positions

After graduating, Toman worked as a high school coach for several years before starting his college coaching career in 1989 with a one-year stint at FIU. He then returned to his alma mater to serve as an assistant to Ray Tanner at NC State; he held the position from 1990–1996. When Tanner left for South Carolina for the 1997 season, Toman went with him and worked as an assistant for the Gamecocks from 1997–2007.^[1]

Liberty

Toman left South Carolina to become the head coach at Liberty for the 2008 season. At his introductory press conference, Toman said, "I am very honored and excited to accept the head coaching position at Liberty University. My wife and family are also very excited to join the Liberty family and work in a Christian environment. I have enjoyed my 11 years at the University of South Carolina and take away many fond memories. I appreciate the opportunity Ray Tanner gave me to be a member of his staff. I am ready to get started on putting a quality staff together and continuing to move the program forward, having success both in conference and nationally."^[3]

From 2008–2014, Toman's first seven seasons, Liberty won at least 30 games each year and at least 40 games three times. After losing in the Big South championship game in 2008, 2010, and 2012, the Flames reached their first NCAA Tournament under Toman in 2013. In the Big South Tournament, which Liberty hosted at the newly built Liberty Baseball Stadium, the Flames went 4-0 to win the championship; in the championship game, Liberty defeated top-seeded Campbell, 2-1, after an Ashton Perritt RBI single broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the ninth. At the Columbia Regional, the Flames went 2-2, beating second-seeded Clemson twice and losing to host South Carolina twice.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

In 2014, Liberty qualified for the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. The Flames won the Big South's North Division and swept the conference's major awards, with Toman winning Coach of the Year. At the Charlottesville Regional, the team went 0-2, losing games to Arkansas and Bucknell.^[9][10][11]

In 2011, Liberty set a Big South record with seven draftees. In 2012, the Flames had two players drafted in the top ten rounds.^[6][12]

Head coaching record

Below is a table of Toman's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.^{[4][13][14][15]}

See also

• List of current NCAA Division I baseball coaches
• Liberty Flames

References