B. J. Ryan Named Cajuns' Pitching Coach

Former Ragin' Cajun and two time Major League All-Star B. J. Ryan is coming home.

Kendall Rogers of d1baseball is reporting Ryan will be named to new head coach Matt Deggs' staff as his pitching coach. He will serve as a volunteer on the staff, replacing Daniel Freeman who went into private business.

Ryan was a two-way player for the Cajuns in 1997-98 after transferring from Centenary, playing first base and the outfield as well as a pitcher. He led the Sun Belt Conference in saves in 1998 and was the Most Outstanding Player of the conference tournament that year, driving in 12 runs as the Cajuns won their first Sun Belt Tournament Title.

Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds, the 43 year old Ryan made his big league debut in 1999 appearing in one game for the Reds before being traded to Baltimore. He became the Orioles' full time closer in 2005 and was named to the All-Star team, finishing the season with 36 saves. He then signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays where he posted a career high 38 saves. He was named to the All-Star team in both seasons and earned the win for the American League in the 2006 game.

Ryan finished his career with 117 saves and had 625 strikeouts in 536.2 career innings. He had a career ERA of 3.36.