HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -Marshall University head baseball coach Dave Piepenbrink announced the hiring of former major league all-star pitcher and Thundering Herd standout Rick Reed as the school's new pitching coach Saturday.

"Rick brings a great deal of baseball knowledge and experience at the highest levels of baseball to our program," Piepenbrink said. "He is a quality individual that cares not only about this university, but the Huntington community as a whole. He will truly be an asset to our program."

Reed replaces Tom Carty who recently accepted a coaching position with Georgia College & State University.

Reed, 40, has 17 years of professional baseball experience as a pitcher in the minor and major leagues. He has also served as a consultant to minor league pitching staffs during past spring training sessions.

"I can't wait to get started," Reed said. "This is a great opportunity and I am looking forward to it. This is something that I have thought about for a while, and I am ready."

Over the course of his professional career, Reed has pitched for the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

He was named to the National League All-Star Team in both 1998 and 2001 as a member of the New York Mets. In 1998, Reed posted a career-high 16 wins with a 3.48 earned run average, while striking out a career-high 153 batters and walking only 29.

Reed attended Marshall from 1984 to 1985, and played one season under head coach Jack Cook before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 26th round of the 1986 amateur draft.

He and his wife Dee reside in Proctorville. The couple has two children, Madison, 4, and Mason, 2.