Fred Corral Named New Sooner Pitching Coach

The University of Oklahoma baseball program announced on Wednesday the hiring of assistant coach Fred Corral. An accomplished pitching coach at the University of Tennessee for the past two years, Corral will serve in the same capacity while at Oklahoma. Corral replaces former Oklahoma pitching coach Ray Hayward who resigned in early June after spending five years with the program.

“We're happy to have Fred come be a part of our coaching staff and feel that he'll be able to make an immediate impact on the production of our pitching staff,” expressed OU head coach Larry Cochell. “He has 10 years of coaching experience at the junior college level, three years of professional ball and two years at the college level which gives him an extensive background and understanding of Division I baseball.”

“At Sacramento City College, he spent six years under Jerry Weinstein who is considered one of the top pitching coaches in the country,” added Cochell.

Corral's arrival in Norman will mark his second coaching stint at a major Division I program after excelling as a pitching instructor at two highly-respected junior colleges for 10 years. In his two seasons in Knoxville, Corral directed the Volunteer pitching staff to the upper-echelons of the pitching-rich Southeastern Conference as well as the nation. He produced immediate results at UT as his staffs lowered their collective ERA's over a run and a half in his two seasons. As further evidence of his successful pitching philosophy, his pitching corps also registered an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio close to 2.5:1 in his two years.

The 2004 staff posted a 3.51 ERA which ranked No. 13 nationally and finished No. 5 in the SEC for the second consecutive year. The staff recorded the fourth most strikeouts in school history and held opponents to a .243 batting average, which was UT's lowest mark in nine seasons. Tennessee also had three pitchers ranked in the top 12 in the SEC in ERA.

Three hurlers off the 2004 squad were drafted and signed professional contracts bringing Corral's total to 28 drafted pitchers in his 12-year coaching tenure.

“I'm very excited about the opportunity to coach alongside Larry Cochell and Sunny Golloway,” commented Corral. “It's going to be a great experience for me to work with a group with more than 1,600 wins under their belt.”

“I look forward to winning at OU and contributing to what the University of Oklahoma has already accomplished,” Corral continued.

A return to his alma mater commenced his collegiate coaching career in 1993. Corral spent two seasons as the pitching coach at San Joaquin Delta Junior College in Stockton, Calif., from 1993-95, before being hired to direct the pitchers at Sacramento (Calif.) City College from 1995-2002. At Sacramento City College, Corral was part of a coaching staff that accomplished one national championship and five Bay Valley East Conference championships, including two state runner-up titles.

While at those two stops, he developed 25 hurlers that were drafted. Every pitcher he coached at SCC was either drafted or transferred to a four-year institution.

His coaching career also included stints with several professional organizations as well as with summer collegiate teams. Corral acquired coaching experience at the professional level while working with minor league teams in the Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers systems. He toured Switzerland in 1994 with Major League Baseball International instructing coaches on fundamentals, practice organization and game management.

Corral served one season as the assistant pitching coach for the Kenai Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League in the summer of 1993. He also directed the squad's outfielders while helping lead the team to the National Baseball Congress World Series championship.

A first team All-Pac 10 Conference performer as a relief pitcher at the University of California, Corral helped lead the Golden Bears to their fourth College World Series appearance in his two seasons. He posted a flawless 10-0 record with five saves and a 3.75 ERA in his first season in 1987 en route to all-conference honors. He became the school's eighth 10-game winner while setting a school record for single-season win-loss percentage.

Prior to his playing days at Berkley, Corral began his collegiate career at San Joauqin Delta Junior College where he garnered All-Camino Notre Conference honors in 1985 and 1986.

The Ripon, Calif., native is married to the former Cynthia Drost, and the couple has two children, Kaitlyn Joy and Justin Jerome.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Fred Corral Named New Sooner Pitching Coach

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors