Aug. 18, 2008

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State head baseball coach Mark Hogan announced today that Rick McCarty will join the Redhawks coaching staff as the new pitching coach in the 2008-09 season. McCarty has five years of previous coaching experience, all coming at NCAA Division II Delta State University.

McCarty, 28, began at Delta State as a graduate assistant under for two years before taking over the pitching staff in the 2004 season. In three seasons as the Statesmen pitching coach, he led the staff to three-straight NCAA top eight finishes in several pitching categories. He coached two American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings South-Central Region Pitchers of the Year, Brad Lightsey (2005) and Rusty Rayborn (2006), as well as four All-Americans and 19 All-Gulf South Conference selections.

In his five seasons at Delta State, McCarty helped coach a Statesmen baseball team that made two Division II College World Series appearances and won the national championship in 2004.

"Rick is an excellent addition to our coaching staff," Hogan said. "He coached several very successful pitching staffs while at Delta State, which is a perennial power in Division II. We are excited for him to begin working with our pitchers starting in the fall."

A native of Campbellsville, Ky., McCarty is a 2003 graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Ky. He spent two seasons as a closer for the Racer baseball program, where he tallied eight in 2001 that ties for a single-season record at Murray State. He had two career wins against Southeast.

McCarty is married to Rayna and their daughter Mya recently turned one year old. Rayna teaches at Central Middle School in Cape Girardeau.