FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Link Jarrett, a two-time Assistant Coach of the Year award winner and offensive mastermind, has been named the second coach in UNCG baseball history, Director of Athletics Kim Record announced Wednesday. Jarrett brings 13 years of coaching experience to the program, including stops at Flager, Mercer, Florida State, East Carolina and Auburn.
“We are thrilled to welcome Link Jarrett to UNCG and excited for the new direction of our baseball program,” Record said. “He has a proven track record developing players and producing some of the top offensive numbers in the country. He is regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the country, bringing a wealth of experience from top baseball programs in Auburn, East Carolina and Florida State. His coaching experience, along with his success as a player, will provide a valuable resource for our student-athletes as we transition into a new era for UNCG baseball.”
Jarrett has spent the past three seasons as the assistant coach/director of player development at Auburn for coach John Pawlowski. During his time at Auburn, the Tigers averaged 34 wins per season and advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament all three years becoming just one of five SEC schools to accomplish that task. Under his guidance, the Tigers have seen 19 players selected, 11 of which have been position players, in the Major League Baseball Draft in three seasons.
“I feel extremely fortunate that Chancellor Linda Brady, Kim Record, Brian Battle and the rest of the search committee have chosen me to lead the UNCG baseball program,” Jarrett said. “The former players, coaches, and staff associated with the program have laid a foundation that we will continue to build upon as we move forward. Completing our coaching staff, meeting our players, and engaging in our recruiting calendar are the first tasks for us as a staff.”
Jarrett was named SEC Assistant Coach of the Year by SEBaseball.com in 2010 as he helped the Tigers post a 43-17 overall record and capture the SEC West Division championship. Auburn advanced to the NCAA Tournament and hosted the NCAA Regional where is posted a .349 team batting average in the postseason.
“There is tremendous potential in our baseball program at UNCG and leading the charge toward fulfilling that potential is very exciting,” Jarrett said. “This will take a unified effort within our staff, players and our proud alumni. With that vision and conviction, our future is really bright.”
Jarrett was in charge of the team’s offense and helped the Tigers set school records for batting average (.348), home runs (131) and slugging percentage (.591), the latter two both national bests in NCAA Division I baseball. Auburn’s 816 hits, 584 runs and 9.1 runs per game also finished in the top 10 in the nation and led the SEC as did the team’s on-base percentage (.423), RBI (549) and total bases (1385). Additionally, Hunter Morris was name SEC Player of the Year in 2010.
“A great hire for UNCG,” Auburn head coach John Pawlowski said. “Link will provide the leadership, guidance and direction needed to lead that program. He has worked hard to get this opportunity and will do a tremendous job. Coach Jarrett exemplifies what you are looking for in a head coach and we wish him and his family all the best.”
Last season, Jarrett helped Auburn posted a 31-28 record while leading the SEC in batting average (.304), on-base percentage (.386), triples (19), stolen bases (113) and stolen base attempts (151). The Tigers had four players drafted in the MLB Draft while also seeing six signees selected. Auburn led the league in conference play in batting average, hits, doubles, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and total bases.
Prior to Auburn, Jarrett spent four seasons as the hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator at East Carolina under head coach Billy Godwin. He helped the Pirates advance to the NCAA Tournament his last three years while averaging 40.2 wins per season with a .639 winning percentage. He led East Carolina to a 46-20 record in his final year in Greenville in 2009, guiding the Pirates to a NCAA Regional host and championship with an NCAA Super Regional appearance in Chapel Hill. East Carolina also collected the 2009 Conference USA regular season title.
Jarrett was named the Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year by SEBaseball.com for his work in 2009. He helped the Pirates become of the most prolific offenses in the country, finishing with a NCAA-best 814 hits, while placing fourth in runs scored (565), sixth in doubles (154), seventh in home runs (108), 12th in slugging percentage (.546) and 15th in batting average. East Carolina also led Conference USA in on-base percentage (.415), RBI (523), total bases (1310) and fielding percentage (.971). He helped recruit Conference USA Newcomer of the Year Chris Heston and All-Freshman Team selection Kevin Brandt.
In 2008, East Carolina posted a 42-21 record with finishing as runner-up in the Coastal Carolina Regional. The Pirates led Conference USA in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs, hits, RBI, home runs, total bases and walks. East Carolina advanced to the NCAA Regional in 2007 with a 40-23 record as it led the league in home runs while finishing third in batting average e, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and RBI. Also, he recruited Conference USA Player of the Year Corey Kemp, Freshman of the Year Seth Maness, Newcomer of the Year Justin Bristow and All-Freshman Team member Dustin Harrington.
Prior to East Carolina, Jarrett spent two seasons at Mercer as the recruiting coordinator, helping the team double its win total in his first season (2004), and then topping that with the team’s first winning record since 1999 with a 28-26 mark during the 2005 campaign.
Jarrett spent the 2003 regular season at his alma mater, helping Florida State to a 54-13-1 record and a Super Regional berth as well as an ACC regular season championship.
Jarrett began his coaching career at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., in 1999. Over the course of three seasons, Flagler established school records in batting average, hits, doubles, fielding percentage, ERA and double plays while posting a 108-63 record (.632), with a 40-win season in 2001 and a No. 5 national ranking.
Jarrett was the starting shortstop on three College World Series teams at Florida State in 1991, 1992 and 1994. He earned NCBWA All-America honors as a junior and senior and still holds the NCAA record for career assists with 802. He also holds the FSU records for consecutive games played (235) and at-bats (989).
Jarrett was the 22nd round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 1994 MLB Draft. He was voted the Most Spectacular Defensive Player in the organization in 1994 while playing for the Bend (Ore.) Rockies in Single-A and then hit .303 for the New Haven Ravens (AA) in 1997.
Jarrett earned a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in psychology from Florida State in 1994. He and his wife Jennifer, have two children, J.T. (13) and Dawson (10).
