Baseball assistant named Cincinnati head coach

IU pitching coach and top assistant Ty Neal was named the 27th head baseball coach at the University of Cincinnati Friday afternoon.

The hiring comes less than 24 hours before IU's first appearance in the NCAA Super Regional in Tallahassee, Fla.

Neal, a native of West Elkton, Ohio, served as an assistant for the Bearcats in 2004 before joining now IU Coach Tracy Smith at Miami (Ohio) in 2005 as the RedHawks' pitching coach. He then followed Smith to IU where he has been with the Hoosiers for eight seasons.

At IU, Neal has served as pitching coach, top assistant, infield/third base coach, position player development and recruiting coordinator.

"Ty is a proven winner and is a perfect fit as the head baseball coach at the University of Cincinnati," Cincinnati Athletic Director Whit Babcock said in a release. "When we first started this search, we looked for candidates that met three criteria: a great recruiter, a track record of proven success in building a program and the right match for our institution and community.

"We are confident that Coach Neal is the right coach to lead our program to national prominence."