Jimmy Moran - Baseball Coach - Seton Hall University Athletics

Jimmy Moran

Title:
Pitching Coach
Email:
james.moran1@shu.edu

Jimmy Moran enters his fifth season as the pitching coach at Seton Hall.

Moran was previously an area scouting supervisor and Minor League coach for the Cincinnati Reds for six seasons. He owns experience pitching in the BIG EAST at South Florida from 2010-11 and has a professional pedigree after working and playing in the Reds' organization.

"Jimmy's experience as a player, scout and coach makes him a well-rounded addition to our staff," said Sheppard. "He has evaluated players all over the country and has helped them in their development to get to the next level. Jimmy knows what it takes for players to have success in college and beyond."

The 2026 season, Moran’s 4^th in South Orange, continued to see the growth and development of many of the Pirates pitchers. At the beginning of the year, Steven Svenson was named Big East Pre-Season Pitcher of the Year while senior pitcher John Downing was also named to the preseason team after a successful 2025 campaign. Sophomore Mason Christopher was named Big East Pitcher of the Week and went on to make 11 starts. Division 3 transfer John Higgins had a breakout year in his one year with the Pirates collecting 9 saves, 35 strike outs and 22 hits over 31 1/3 innings before signing with the Trenton Thunder.
In 2025, the pitching staff continued their way in the BIG EAST conference under Moran’s guidance. They once again finished top 3 in most major statistical categories. Pirates Cole Hanse, Ryan Reich and John Downing would receive BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll recognition throughout the 2025 season. The year also saw the emergence of Freshman Steven Svenson, as he would go on to make 10 starts overall, 6 in conference, and pitch to a 2.15 conference ERA before receiving 1^st Team All- BIG EAST honors.

The 2024 season continued to show promise for the Pirates on the mound. The pitching staff would go on to finish with a top 50 ERA and hits/9 in the country for a second consecutive season. They finished top 3 in the BIG EAST Conference in ERA, Hits, Runs, Earned Runs, Strike Outs and Walks. The year also saw the emergence of Ryan Reich on the mound who would go on and lead the Big East in strikeouts and receive 1^st Team All-Big East honors alongside fellow Pirate pitcher Michael Gillen. Division 3 transfer, Jackson Balzan received 2^nd Team all-conference honors after his only season in South Orange and reliever Jay Allmer concluded his Pirate career by signing with the Boston Red Sox.

The pitching staff improved considerably in Moran's first season in South Orange as the Pirates improved in nearly every category from the 2022 campaign. The Hall's 4.43 staff ERA, nearly 2.5 fewer runs allowed the previous season, was the lowest in the BIG EAST and it ranked 31st nationally. The Pirates' pitchers finished tied for first in the BIG EAST and tied for 19th in Division I with five shutouts and their hits allowed per nine innings ranked 30th in the country. Individual improvements were highlighted by Nick Payero, who posted a career-best 3.12 ERA while also setting career highs in innings (69.1 IP), wins (5) and strikeouts (62). He finished his career as an All-BIG EAST First Team selection. Moran and the Seton Hall coaching staff was awarded BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors for leading the Pirates back to the BIG EAST Tournament and a 13-win improvement over the 2022 season. Ryan Reich, Chris Shine and Cole Hansen would all receive BIG EAST pitching accolades throughout the 2023 season and Nick Payero would go on to sign a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

Along with his scouting responsibilities Moran worked in a myriad of roles on the field developing and identifying platers for the Reds. He was the club's on-field representative for the 2019 USA Baseball Player Development Pipeline League before working in the Arizona Complex League as a developmental coach in 2021.

Beginning in the Fall of 2016, Moran oversaw scouting in several territories for Cincinnati. Moran was responsible for 2017 fifth-round selection Mac Sceroler, who reached the Major Leagues in 2021. Moran was also the signing scout for the Reds' 2021 first-round draft pick, taking Matt McLain with the 17th overall selection. McLain made his MLB debut during the 2023 season. Moran also scouted and signed catcher Eric Yang, the Reds 2019 7^th round pick, who made his MLB debut in July of 2024.

Moran transferred to USF after playing one season at Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville. After making 15 appearances with five starts in 2010 for the Bulls, he went 4-1 with a 3.97 ERA in 20 appearances as a junior. He was picked by the Reds in the 2011 MLB Draft and he reached the highest level of the Minor Leagues with the Louisville Bats at Triple-A.