FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois Baseball head coach Mike Villano announced the hiring of Todd Coryell as assistant coach. Coryell will work with the pitching staff and recruiting.
For the past two years Coryell worked as an associate scout with the Cincinnati Reds while also serving as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Grand Rapids Community College. He was on the coaching staff at Kellogg Community College in 2008 when the Bears advanced to the Junior College World Series.
No stranger to the Division I baseball ranks, Coryell worked for three years at Eastern Michigan, first as a student assistant coach then as pitching coach/recruiting coordinator for his father, long-time head coach Roger Coryell. He helped turn around the Eagles’ pitching staff from an ERA over 6.00 in 2005 to 4.61 the next season and 4.08 in 2007.
Coryell worked with the 2006 MAC Pitcher of the Year (Jeff Fischer) then the next season helped the Eagles set a MAC record for regular season winning percentage going 21-4 and winning the West Division title. That year Eastern finished as the tournament runner-up but logged wins over perennial powers Tennessee, Arizona and Michigan.
During his tenure eight players were drafted or signed a free agent contract with Major League Baseball teams.
Prior to his time at EMU, Coryell served as a junior varsity and varsity assistant coach at Chelsea HS and Ypsilanti HS. His 2004 summer team, the Michigan Diamondbacks, had every player on the roster sign to play at a Division I, II or junior college program.
Not only does Coryell have experience coaching at the high school and collegiate level, he has worked as an associate scout with the Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners.
“Todd is extremely passionate and has a great sense for identifying talent and developing it,” said the first-year head coach. “I coached against him for years and when it was time to hire an assistant coach, I would rather have him with me than against me.”
