Rich Maloney going back to Ball State after 10 years at Michigan
Ten years ago, Rich Maloney's four straight Mid-American Conference division titles at Ball State helped convince then-Michigan athletic director Bill Martin to bring the 37-year-old baseball coach to Ann Arbor.
Today, Ball State is happy to have him back.
The school announced Maloney's return as its head baseball coach on Thursday and will hold an 11 a.m. press conference today to formally reintroduce him.
Last month, Michigan announced that Maloney and athletic director Dave Brandon "mutually agreed to not extend" his contract, which ends June 30.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Rich Maloney back to the Ball State family and the Muncie community," athletic director Bill Scholl said in a statement.
"He was an integral part of continuing the outstanding tradition of Ball State baseball in his previous tenure with the Cardinals, and we are looking forward to his return. Coach Maloney has built an outstanding resume as a collegiate head coach and his proven track record was a key factor in his hiring at Ball State."
Former Michigan baseball coach Rich Maloney, center, will take over the program at Ball State, where he coached from 1996 to 2002.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
It's the second time in less than three months a Michigan coach has ended up back with the program that he led before coming to Ann Arbor.
On April 4, Michigan women's basketball coach Kevin Borseth resigned his post and returned to Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he coached for nine seasons before leaving to join the Wolverines in 2007.
Maloney, who had a 341-224 record in 10 seasons at Michigan, led the Wolverines to three Big Ten titles, two Big Ten Tournament championships and an NCAA Regional title in 2007.
Last year's team finished 22-34, the second straight sub-.500 record for the Wolverines after finishing with a winning record in each of Maloney's first eight seasons.
In his previous seven-year stint at Ball State, Maloney's teams were 256-144-1, won four straight MAC West Division titles (1998-2001) and two MAC regular season titles (1998-99).
Maloney led Ball State to the only two 40-win seasons in program history in 1997 and 1999.
Current Ohio State coach Greg Beals, who succeeded Maloney at Ball State in 2003, gave Maloney a vote of confidence in an interview with the Muncie Star Press.
“I think Rich is every bit the coach he was, and he’s probably a better coach because he has more experience than he had in his first trip through Ball State,” Beals told the newspaper. “I’m happy for Rich to have an opportunity to go back there where he had great success.
“Rich is a great baseball coach. He proved that at Ball State and Michigan, and he’s going to prove that again. I’m happy for Ball State and the baseball program, which I still feel a part of, and I’m happy for Rich as a colleague. They’re both getting a good situation.”
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