Ivey Starling enters his fifth season with the University of Montevallo baseball program after joining the Falcons’ staff in August 2021. A native of Brentwood, Tennessee, Starling serves as the team’s associate head coach and pitching coach, helping lead one of the Gulf South Conference’s top pitching staffs.
In 2025, Starling guided Adiel Melendez to All-GSC Second Team honors after a record-setting season. Melendez became just the third pitcher in Montevallo’s Division II history to record 100 or more strikeouts in a single year while finishing with the third-lowest ERA and fourth-most innings pitched in program history. Under Starling’s leadership, Garrett Sloan tied the program record with 11 saves as the Falcons matched the team record with 15 total saves in a season.
The 2024 season saw Starling coach Logan Samuels, who became the highest MLB Draft pick in program history after being selected in the eighth round by the Atlanta Braves. Samuels was Montevallo’s first drafted pitcher since 1996. Starling also helped guide Gino Cozzi to another All-Conference campaign.
Following the 2023 season, Starling was promoted to associate head coach after leading the Falcons’ pitching staff to the fourth-best team ERA in the GSC and the most strikeouts in the league for the second consecutive year.
In 2022, his first season at Montevallo, the Falcons posted a 36-15 record and saw several players earn postseason honors. Sam Kuchinski was named GSC Co-Player of the Year, while multiple Falcons, including Jake Smallwood, Reed Latimer, Connor Phelan, and Cozzi, collected All-America, All-Region, and All-GSC recognition.
Before arriving at Montevallo, Starling spent two seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Georgia Southwestern, where his 2021 staff led the Peach Belt Conference in ERA and ranked second in opponent batting average and shutouts. His staff also produced the league’s Pitcher of the Year.
Starling previously coached at Birmingham-Southern College, where he helped guide the Panthers to the NCAA Division III National Championship Series after sweeping through the World Series undefeated. During his three seasons with BSC, the Panthers captured two Southern Athletic Association championships, made two NCAA Regional appearances, and developed three SAA Pitchers of the Year.
As a player, Starling began his career at Faulkner State Community College before transferring to Trevecca Nazarene University. He finished his collegiate career with a 16-9 overall record and 156 strikeouts across 156.2 innings pitched.
Starling holds an Associate of Arts degree from Faulkner State and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trevecca Nazarene University.
