Christian Ostrander to succeed retiring Scott Berry as Southern Miss baseball coach
Christian Ostrander will be the 14th baseball coach in Southern Miss history, the university's athletic department announced on Sunday.
Ostrander, who serves as the program's pitching coach, will succeed Scott Berry when the longtime coach retires at the end of the season.
Ostrander is widely regarded as one of the top pitching coaches in the country, and there was always speculation that he could step in when Berry retired.
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Ostrander has been with the Golden Eagles for the last six seasons. He has helped produce five All-Americans, two Ferriss Trophy winners and a National Pitcher of the Year. Thanks largely to a reputation for developing outstanding pitchers, Southern Miss has been a consistent presence in the postseason, appearing in four regionals and a super regional in the last five seasons. Southern Miss owns the best staff ERA in the Sun Belt Conference this season, and has one of the best pitchers in the country in Tanner Hall.
"Christian brings not only an outstanding track record to the position, but also the commitment, accountability, and character we have grown to expect from our baseball program," athletic director Jeremy McClain said in a school release. "As a Golden Eagle, he has been a major part of our success over the past six years and is well respected around the country for his work on and off the field. I look forward to his leadership and to working with him in continuing to elevate our program on a national level."
Southern Miss said an introductory press conference and fan celebration will be held for Ostrander following the end of the season.
"I am extremely honored and humbled for the opportunity to be the next head baseball coach at The University of Southern Mississippi," Ostrander said in a statement. "The rich tradition that had been built here over the years by Coach (Pete) Taylor, Coach (Hill) Denson, Coach (Corky) Palmer, and Coach Berry is truly incredible and admirable. It is with great excitement and great privilege to lead this program moving forward."
Ostrander is a native of Monroe, Louisiana, and played his college baseball at Delta State, where he was a teammate of McClain's.
Before arriving on the Division I coaching scene, he spent seven years leading the Jones College program. While there, Ostrander compiled a .701 winning percentage and won four division titles.
He then made the jump to Louisiana Tech as a pitching coach, where he spent two seasons before Berry hired him to coach at Southern Miss.
"I am excited for, and extremely proud Christian will be our next head baseball coach at USM," Berry said in a statement. "Watching Christian learn and develop over the past six years, he understands what Southern Miss baseball is all about. His loyalty, work ethic and commitment to tradition will endear him to our Southern Miss faithful."
David Eckert covers sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Christian Ostrander to be next Southern Miss baseball coach
