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Josh Newman |
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Former Major Leaguer and Ohio State pitching standout Josh Newman enters his third season as the Buckeyes' volunteer assistant coach.
In just two seasons, Greg Beals' decision to include two coaches with pitching experience on his staff has paid off for the Buckeye hurlers. Under the guidance of Mike Stafford and Newman, the 2012 Buckeyes lowered their team ERA down to 4.25 as sophomore Jaron Long to first team All-Big Ten honors. In addition, junior right-hander John Kuchno was selected in the 18th round of the MLB Draft after going 8-4 with a 4.38 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 74.0 innings pitched.
A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio and a 2004 Ohio State graduate with a degree in history, Newman ranks third all-time on the Ohio State career wins (32), innings pitched (369.0) and strikeouts (291) lists. He was a freshman All-American in 2001 and a three-time all-Big Ten honoree, including a first-team selection in 2004. He posted eight victories in each of his four seasons as a Buckeye starter and in the process posted a 17-8 record vs. Big Ten Conference foes. He had 17 complete games during his career.
A three-time Academic all-Big Ten honoree, Newman helped the Buckeyes to a 161-84-1 record, a Big Ten regular season championship (2001) and two Big Ten tournament championships (2002 and 2003) in his career. Ohio State went to three NCAA Regional tournaments and hosted an NCAA Super Regional (2003) in his four years in Columbus.
Newman has pitched and performed well in as big a game as any Buckeye in the last 40-plus years, picking up a Game 1 win in the Auburn Regional in 2003 over host Auburn and also starting Game 1 of the Columbus Super Regional one week later against Missouri State.
Newman was drafted in the 19th round of the 2004 MLB First Year Player Draft and signed a professional contract with the Colorado Rockies. He had previously been drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2003 but he elected to stay at Ohio State for his senior season.
The Wheelersburg High School graduate spent three seasons in the minors before making his Major League debut against Philadelphia on Sept. 12, 2007, and making the Colorado Rockies World Series roster that season. He jumped between Triple-A Colorado Springs and the Rockies in 2008 before being claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals in July. Newman pitched in 14 games over his two seasons between Colorado and Kansas City, making his last appearance in September 2008.
After retiring from professional baseball in March of 2010, Newman went on to start his own baseball instruction business, Pitch TO Pitch, which provides individual and team lessons to Central Ohio youth. He resides in Dublin, Ohio, with his wife, Sarah, and two young children: daughter, Ayda, and son, Kash.
