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New Orleans head baseball coach Blake Dean announced the hiring of Indiana University standout Ryan Fineman as volunteer head coach. Fineman will work with catchers and hitters and camps.

Fineman was a four-year starting catcher for IU, appearing in 206 total games. He hit .256 with 19 home runs. Following his Hoosier career, Fineman signed a free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

“I am excited to join the staff at New Orleans and I want to thank coach Dean for giving me this opportunity,” said Fineman. “I cannot wait to be a part of the winning culture coach has built here.”

“We are excited to have Ryan join our staff,” said Dean. “He has played and coached with a few of the best coaches in baseball and had great success on the field as a player and has already shown his drive as a coach.”

His former head coach at Indiana, reigning national champion Chris Lemonis, echoed Dean’s statements on Fineman.

“Ryan has all of the tools to be a great college coach,” said Chris Lemonis, head coach of Mississippi State. “His background as a catcher gives a different vision of the game and will make him a great coach. He has a great personality and a tremendous work ethic. We are looking forward to seeing him have great success.”

“Ryan is a bright young coach with a great future in the game,” said Jeff Johnson, head coach at Chipola Junior College and winner of three national championships. “He’s an outstanding recruiter and extremely hard working.”

He played a full season within the Rays organization and a spring training before COVID-19 shortened the season.

He was at Cipola Junior College for one season under coach Johnson and helped coach the team to a 34-17 mark.

A native of Agoura Hills, California, he earned his undergraduate degree from Indiana in 2019.

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