EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE baseball Interim Head Coach Tony Stoecklin has announced the addition of Major League pitcher Jason Isringhausen to his staff. Isringhausen, a native of Brighton, Ill., will serve as a pitching coach for the Cougars.

"He obviously knows the game at the highest level," Stoecklin said. "What has impressed me most is his ability to teach what he knows."

Isringhausen has collected 300 saves in a Major League career that has covered 16 seasons. Seven of those years were spent with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is the Cardinals' all-time leader in saves with 217. In 2004, he turned a career-best 47 saves for St. Louis, which is a Cardinals single-season record shared by Lee Smith.

"I enjoy the teaching aspect," Isringhausen said. "I feel like I have a lot to offer.

"At this level the players all have talent," he continued. "I'm here to fine tune. I want to help the pitchers get the most out of that talent."

Stoecklin said Isringhausen's presence already has made a difference.

"The guys are listening," Stoecklin said. "They're soaking up every ounce of information he gives them."

The 2013 baseball season begins tomorrow when the Cougars travel to Nashvile, Tenn., for the first game of a three-game weekend series at Lipscomb.