The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball program lost a longtime member of its family this week. Longtime assistant Jim Toman passed away on Tuesday after a lengthy battle with brain cancer. Toman was just 65 years old.
Toman started his collegiate baseball career as an assistant at Florida International in 1989 before spending the 1990-1996 seasons with NC State under Wolfpack head coach Ray Turner.
He followed Turner when he became the head coach at South Carolina in 1997, and Toman was with the Gamecocks through the 2007 season. He garnered the nickname "Storm" for his antics in the dugouts during games, and was known for his colorful personality but dedication to the Gamecock staff.
With Turner, he helped bring South Carolina to three College World Series appearances in 2002. 2003 and 2004, and multiple NCAA Regional and SEC titles. In 2002, he was named the American Baseball Coaches Assistant Coach of the Year, and was known as an excellent recruiter.
Coach Turner released a statement following his death via South Carolina baseball's Twitter account.
"Jim, what a great ride we shared,” Tanner wrote in a statement. “I coached you at N.C. State. You became a team captain, and I knew you were destined for great things. You joined me in the dugout at State, and when we made the move to Columbia, I knew Gamecock Baseball needed you here with me.
“We spent 11 years at Sarge Frye Field. We won a lot. We carried on the proud tradition of Gamecock Baseball. I always knew how deeply you cared about our program. Gamecock Nation saw the passion and fiery competitiveness that our team witnessed every single day.”
Rest in Peace, Coach Toman. pic.twitter.com/4dmnp9dau6
— South Carolina Baseball (@GamecockBSB) August 4, 2026
According to The State newspaper, Toman is survived by his wife, Carolina Frances, and the two share two sons, Charlie Mac and Tucker. Tucker currently plays for the Toronto Newspaper. Toman's family has requested that in lieu of flowers for his funeral service, donations can be made to BrainTumor.Org.
Monte Lee, last season's interim Gamecock head baseball coach and longtime South Carolina assistant who coached with Toman, also posted about Storm's passing:
RIP Storm. We all loved working with you, and getting to call you a friend. No one impacted Gamecock baseball more. Your impact is tremendous! https://t.co/VMVqZ4SBo2
— Monte Lee (@CoachMonteLee) August 4, 2026
"My thoughts and prayers are with Coach Toman's family and friends," new Gamecock head coach Kevin Schnall wrote on social media. "Forever a Gamecock Legend."
After his time with South Carolina's baseball program, he was the head coach at Liberty from 2008-2016, and coached at Middle Tennessee from 2019-2022. He finished with a 406-308-2 overall record as head coach, and led the Flames to NCAA Regional appearances in 2013 and 2014. He was named the Big South Coach of the Year in 2014.
In between those two head coaching stints, Toman was an Associate Head Coach at College of Charleston from 2017-2018.
Toman was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2025, and had recently entered hospice care. Gamecock baseball fans far and wide send their deepest condolences to Toman's family as they navigate this tragic loss.
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