North Carolina State University Athletics
Remembering NC State Baseball's Jim Toman
8/5/2026 10:36:00 AM | Baseball
Jim Toman, who caught for NC State baseball from 1981-84, passed away on Aug. 4 at the age of 64.
A catcher, Toman was a four-year letterwinner at NC State and served as team captain under Sam Esposito during his junior and senior seasons. The highlight of his playing career came in the 1984 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, when he set tournament records for home runs (4), doubles (4), and total bases (25) and was named to the all-tournament team. The Wolfpack had winning seasons in all four years Toman played.
Nicknamed "Storm," 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 an assistant football coach. In 1990, Toman spent one season as an assistant at Florida International, where he was responsible for the weight program, coached catchers, and coached first base.
Toman also spent three summers as an assistant coach with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League.
Toman returned to NC State as an assistant coach under Ray Tanner for seven seasons (1990-1996). He followed Tanner to South Carolina, served as recruiting coordinator, and worked with the catchers. He was promoted to Associate Head Coach.
In 2002, Toman was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America. As recruiting coordinator, Toman recruited a top 25 class in all 11 seasons at South Carolina, with his 2003, 2005, and 2006 Gamecock recruiting classes ranked first in the nation by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Following South Carolina, Toman spent nine seasons as head coach at Liberty (2008-2016) and one year as an assistant coach at College of Charleston (2018). Toman was hired as head coach of Middle Tennessee in 2018 and led the Blue Raiders through the 2022 season.
Jim captained his baseball and football teams at Gateway Senior High School in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1980.Â
Toman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in vocational industrial education from N.C. State in 1985 and graduated as the top student in the vocational industrial education curriculum. He received a Master of Science degree in sport management from N.C. State in 1995 with a 4.0 grade-point average.
A visitation will be held on August 13th, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and a funeral service will be held on August 14th, 2026, at 1:00pm, both at Dunbar Funeral Home (3926 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29205). A private burial will follow at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Brain Tumor Society at BrainTumor.org.
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A catcher, Toman was a four-year letterwinner at NC State and served as team captain under Sam Esposito during his junior and senior seasons. The highlight of his playing career came in the 1984 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, when he set tournament records for home runs (4), doubles (4), and total bases (25) and was named to the all-tournament team. The Wolfpack had winning seasons in all four years Toman played.
Nicknamed "Storm," 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 an assistant football coach. In 1990, Toman spent one season as an assistant at Florida International, where he was responsible for the weight program, coached catchers, and coached first base.
Toman also spent three summers as an assistant coach with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League.
Toman returned to NC State as an assistant coach under Ray Tanner for seven seasons (1990-1996). He followed Tanner to South Carolina, served as recruiting coordinator, and worked with the catchers. He was promoted to Associate Head Coach.
In 2002, Toman was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America. As recruiting coordinator, Toman recruited a top 25 class in all 11 seasons at South Carolina, with his 2003, 2005, and 2006 Gamecock recruiting classes ranked first in the nation by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Following South Carolina, Toman spent nine seasons as head coach at Liberty (2008-2016) and one year as an assistant coach at College of Charleston (2018). Toman was hired as head coach of Middle Tennessee in 2018 and led the Blue Raiders through the 2022 season.
Jim captained his baseball and football teams at Gateway Senior High School in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1980.Â
Toman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in vocational industrial education from N.C. State in 1985 and graduated as the top student in the vocational industrial education curriculum. He received a Master of Science degree in sport management from N.C. State in 1995 with a 4.0 grade-point average.
A visitation will be held on August 13th, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., and a funeral service will be held on August 14th, 2026, at 1:00pm, both at Dunbar Funeral Home (3926 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina, 29205). A private burial will follow at Good Shepherd Cemetery in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Brain Tumor Society at BrainTumor.org.
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