ATLANTA — Ty Neal, formerly the head coach at Cincinnati, has been named the pitching coach at Georgia State, head coach Greg Frady announced.
Neal spent the last four seasons (2014-17) leading the Bearcats after a highly successful eight-year run as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Indiana, capped by a trip to the 2013 College World Series.
“I’m excited to bring someone with Ty’s experience and ability to our staff,” Frady said. “What we need at Georgia State is the ability to recruit good players and then the experience and energy to develop those players, and I think we are getting all of those things with Ty Neal.”
Among his highlights at Cincinnati, Neal coached All-American, Academic All-American and American Conference Player of the Year Ian Happ, the No. 9 selection in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft who made his debut with the Chicago Cubs this season. He also mentored right-handed pitcher Connor Walsh, drafted in the 12th round by the Chicago White Sox in 2014. Walsh is now pitching in Triple A, while 2016 free agent signee Ryan Atkinson is in AA.
Under Neal’s leadership, the Bearcats earned a fourth-place finish in the American Conference in 2016 while posting 26 wins, the program’s highest total since 2011, with a team ERA of 3.73 that was Cincinnati’s lowest mark since 1974. UC then improved to 28 victories in 2017.
Neal coached at Indiana under Tracy Smith, now the head coach at Arizona State, from 2006-13, serving as the Hoosiers’ pitching coach from 2006-08 and from 2011-13, around a two-year stint as the team’s infield and third base coach.
He recruited or coached numerous future professional players, including Major Leaguers Kyle Schwarber, Sam Travis, Alex Dickerson and Micah Johnson.
As pitching coach, he mentored 18 hurlers who were drafted in the first 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft. Several of his Indiana pitchers have advanced in the minor leagues, including 2013 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Aaron Slegers who is now in Triple A, Indiana career wins leader Joey DeNato, also in Triple A, and Ryan Halstead, the Hoosiers’ all-time saves leader who is now in Double A.
Neal helped the Hoosiers to a pair of Big Ten Conference Tournament titles, IU’s first regular-season conference championship since 1949, two NCAA Regionals, one NCAA Super Regional and the program’s first College World Series berth.
“I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to work with Coach Frady and the program at Georgia State,” Neal said. “Atlanta is such a hotbed of baseball, and it’s an exciting time to be at Georgia State. I think I bring energy, and I bring experience recruiting and coaching talented players and working with baseball at a high level, including a trip to Omaha. I look forward to helping Coach Frady move the program forward.”
Before going to IU, Neal worked under Smith as the pitching coach at Miami (Ohio) University in 2005, when he guided the RedHawks staff to a 3.33 ERA, which ranked 16th in the nation. He helped Miami to a school-record tying 45 victories and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
That was his second stint at Miami, his alma mater, where he began his coaching career in 2000 and helped the squad to another 40-win season and NCAA berth. In between, Neal spent three years as an assistant coach at Southern Illinois (2001-03) and one year (2004) at Cincinnati.
A native of West Elkton, Ohio, Neal earned his bachelor’s degree in health and sport studies in 1999 from Miami, where was he was a standout pitcher who compiled 19 career victories.
He and his wife Christine, have two sons, Silas and Beckett, and one daughter, Paisley.
