Aug. 5, 2004
Columbia, S.C. –
The University of South Carolina has announced the promotion of Jim Toman to Associate Head Coach of the baseball team. Now entering his ninth season on the staff at South Carolina, this will be Toman’s 16th year working alongside head coach Ray Tanner, dating back to the 1990 season at NC State. Toman serves as recruiting coordinator and works with the catchers and was the 2002 Baseball America/American Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year.
“Coach Toman and I have worked together for many years and he is certainly one of the very best coaches in the country,” said head coach Ray Tanner. “I have been fortunate to have someone of Coach Toman’s caliber by my side for 15 years and the job he has done and continues to do at South Carolina is outstanding.”
Toman has aided in recruiting 12 Top 25 classes during his career including every season as a coach at South Carolina. The 2003 class was tied for first in rankings by Collegiate Baseball and was ranked second by Baseball America. Toman’s recruiting efforts have helped build the foundation at South Carolina that has produced three consecutive teams that have reached the College World Series. In addition, the Gamecocks are the winningest baseball program in Division I over the last five seasons (260-87 record).
Five catchers coached at South Carolina by Toman have signed professional baseball contracts including this past season when Landon Powell was a first round draft pick of the Oakland A’s. Powell was also an All-American and one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award given to the top collegiate catcher in the nation. Prior to Powell, Gamecock catcher Tim Whittaker was an All-American choice in 2001, a Johnny Bench Award semi-finalist and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Brandon Pack signed in 2000 with the Texas Rangers, Ryan Bordenick in 1998 by the Milwaukee Brewers and Rob Streicher in 1997 with the Montreal Expos. Bordenick also earned All-American honors while at South Carolina in both 1997 and 1998.
Toman earned four baseball letters at NC State, 1981-84, and was captain of the Wolfpack his junior and senior seasons. The highlight of his career as a player came in the 1984 ACC Tournament when he set records for home runs (4), doubles (4) and total bases (25) and was named to the all-tournament team.
Toman also starred in the classroom. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational Industrial Edcuation in 1985 and graduated as the top-ranked student in the vocational industrial education curriculum. He received the Master of Science degree in Sport Management from NC State in 1995 with a 4.0 grade point average.
Upon graduation, Toman entered the coaching profession as an assistant at Richmond County High School in Rockingham, N.C. While working with one of the top high school baseball programs in North Carolina for two years, he also served as head wrestling coach and as an assistant football coach. He then moved to Atlantic Community High School in Del Ray Beach, Fla. where he spent a year as an assistant in baseball and football.
Toman moved into the collegiate coaching ranks in 1989 as an assistant at Florida International University for one year. At FIU he was responsible for the weight program, worked with the catchers and coached first base. Toman joined the NC State staff before the 1990 season. He was promoted to the title of associate head coach at NC State in 1993.
Toman is married to the former Ashley McLaughlin of Florence, S.C., a former volleyball player at Charleston Southern University. They have a daughter, Caroline Frances, born Nov. 24, 1997, and two sons, Charles McLaughlin (Charlie Mac) born May 8, 2000 and Kendall Tucker (Tucker) born Nov. 12, 2003.
