ATLANTA -- Former Major League pitcher Chris Bootcheck has been named pitching coach at Georgia State, head coach Greg Frady announced.
Bootcheck, a right-hander, played in seven Major League seasons from 2003-13, primarily with the Los Angeles Angels, the team that selected him out of Auburn in the first round of the 2000 MLB Draft.
Bootcheck has college coaching experience after assisting with the pitchers at NAIA program Georgia Gwinnett College, which reached the NAIA World Series in 2014 in just its second season of existence. That year, two Georgia Gwinnett pitchers and one catcher were selected in the MLB Draft.
He has also coached amateur baseball in Georgia and worked as a performance consultant.
"I'm very excited to be able to add a former Major League pitcher to our coaching staff," Frady said. "Chris brings a lot of pitching experience and he has also had success in the college coaching ranks, so he is a perfect fit for us.
"The fact that he played college baseball at Auburn and was an All-American is important to me because he understands all aspects of what college players go through. The fact that he was a professional and has multiple years of big league experience is something that our players aspire to, and certainly that resonates with us and what we're trying to accomplish by being successful at the collegiate level and then having success professionally."
Bootcheck starred at Auburn from 1998-00, earning All-Southeastern Conference and All-America honors in 2000. He posted a career record of 24-10 while logging more than 300 innings, and he ranks among the school's career leaders with 270 strikeouts.
After less than three full seasons in the minor leagues, Bootcheck made his Major League debut with the Angels in September 2003. His best season was 2007, when he made 51 appearances for the Angels with a 3-3 record.
He also pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009, and he last appeared in the Majors in 2013 with the New York Yankees.
His professional career spanned 15 seasons and included stops in Japan and Korea before concluding in Triple A with the Philadelphia Phillies organization in 2014.
"My family and I are excited to be welcomed to the Georgia State family, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to coach and learn from such an established, respected and recognized figure in college baseball such as Coach Frady," Bootcheck said. "I have very high expectations for the current and incoming players, and I look forward to being a part of the challenges and, most importantly, the success in store for the Georgia State baseball program."
A native of LaPorte, Ind., Bootcheck earned his bachelor's degree in sports psychology from the University of Phoenix in 2016.
Chris and his wife Jina have three daughters: Marin Lily, 8, Olivia Haven, 6, and Giana Claire, 2.
