Former Kent State star catcher, assistant coach Greg Beals taking over Akron program
Akron has hired a familiar face to Kent State fans in an attempt to spark its struggling baseball program.
Greg Beals has been chosen to take over the Zips program according to reports from several media sources on Friday. Beals was a star catcher for the Golden Flashes from 1989-91 who then started his coaching career as an assistant at Kent State in 1994 following a three-year run in the New York Mets minor league system.
Beals served as the head coach at Ohio State from 2011-22, but was fired after the Buckeyes finished 21-30 last season.
Beals replaces Chris Sabo, who had served as the head coach at Akron since the program was brought back in 2018 after it was eliminated as part of athletic budget cuts in 2015. The former Cincinnati Reds star third baseman finished with a 31-89 record as head coach of the Zips.
Beals, a 52-year-old native of Springfield, Ohio, earned Honorable Mention All-Mid-American Conference recognition at Kent State in 1989 and 1990 while playing under head coach Danny Hall. He served as an assistant coach with the Flashes from 1994-2002, then left after accepting an offer to lead the Ball State program. The Cardinals earned three MAC West Division championships and a MAC Tournament title under Beals from 2003-2010.
Beals then led the Buckeyes to three NCAA Regional appearances, highlighted by a 44-win season in 2016. He has compiled a 588-490-1 overall record in 20 years as a head coach.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Greg Beals has been chosen to lead the Akron baseball program
