Jim Toman, "one of one" college baseball coach from Pennsylvania, dies of brain cancer
Jim Toman, a longtime college baseball coach from western Pennsylvania, died of brain cancer on Tuesday. He was 64 years old.
North Carolina State University, where Toman played baseball from 1981 to 1984, announced his death in a news release. CBS affiliate WDBJ reported that Toman had brain cancer. He reportedly had been battling brain cancer since being diagnosed in 2025.
Toman, who was born in Monroeville, was the head baseball coach at Liberty University in Virginia from 2008 to 2016 and Middle Tennessee State University from 2018 to 2022. He was also an assistant baseball coach at the University of South Carolina and NC State.
Among his accomplishments on the college level was leading Liberty to its most successful era. The Flames won 35 games or more in six of his nine seasons, including notching a Big South tournament title in 2013.
Legendary college baseball coach Ray Tanner, who coached with Toman at South Carolina for 11 seasons and at NC State for seven seasons, shared an emotional message to his friend in a post on Instagram.
"We are all indebted to you for the impact you made on our lives—players, coaches, staff, and fans alike," the message said, in part. "Your health struggles over the past year may have taken away your ability to pursue your passion for baseball and life as you once did, but those of us who truly knew you know where your heart always was and always will be."
Nick Pierce, a broadcaster for the Liberty Flames Sports Network, said Toman was "one of one."
"I'll never forget my days of working with him as HC of @LibertyBaseball," Pierce wrote on X. "Prayers for Caroline, Tucker, Charlie Mac, the rest of his family and all who knew him. Rest easy, Big Guy."
In 1980, Toman graduated from Gateway High School in Monroeville, where he was a captain for the baseball and football teams.
A private burial is set for Good Shepherd Cemetery in Monroeville, according to NC State's news release. Instead of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the National Brain Tumor Society.
