Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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56 AUGUST 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY LOU SOMOGYI O n June 8, Notre Dame announced it would not retain head baseball coach Mik Aoki for a 10th year. A little more than a month later on July 12, University of North Carolina Greensboro's Lincoln "Link" Jarrett — a two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year — was officially hired as the 21st head coach in Fight- ing Irish baseball history. A record-setting two-time All- American shortstop on three College World Series teams at Florida State from 1991-94, Jarrett spent the last seven seasons (2013-19) as the head coach at UNC Greensboro, where he revived the program and compiled a 215-166 record. His initial three seasons saw the Spartans finish under .500, but by his fourth year in 2016 he was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year while leading his team to a sec- ond-place tie in the league. The Spartans won their first-ever conference tournament champion- ship the following season and then captured their second-ever regular season championship in 2018. In 2017, UNCG made the NCAA Tour- nament for the first time in 20 years and knocked off No. 23 St. John's at the NCAA Clemson Regional. The Spartans led the Southern Conference in hitting five of Jarrett's seven seasons, and in 2016 paced the nation in batting average. Off the field, three of his last four teams achieved a cumulative GPA of at least 3.11, and the team's 3.22 GPA during the 2017-18 academic year was the highest of any male sport at UNCG. "Link brings a remarkable baseball pedigree to the job, as an elite player, an assistant coach with some of the country's best collegiate programs, a highly successful head coach, and even as a parent of a current college baseball player," Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick said. "Per- haps most importantly, Link's pas- sion for teaching young men through baseball matches perfectly with the mission of Notre Dame athletics." Deputy athletics director Jody Sadler was the point person in the search. "I want to build this program into one that will contend for champion- ships in the ACC," Jarrett said. "We have to work tirelessly to upgrade ev- erything that we do in our program. "I want this program to be a model of consistency and excellence." Jarrett 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). Prior to his time at UNC Greens- boro, Jarrett spent three years at Au- burn (2010-12) as assistant coach/ director of player development. SE- Baseball.com named him the SEC Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010, when — as the hitting coach — he helped the Tigers bat .349 as a team. At East Carolina (2006-09), Jarrett served as the hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator, helping the Pirates advance to the NCAA Tour- nament his last three years, culminat- ing with an NCAA Super Regional. Jarrett spent two seasons at Mercer (2004-05) as the recruiting coordina- tor before moving to Greenville. Following a minor league base- ball playing career, Jarrett became the head coach at NCAA Division II Flagler College, and the program set school records in batting average, hits, doubles, fielding percentage, ERA and double plays while posting a 108-63 record (.632). The Saints rose to No. 5 at one point in the national rankings. In 2003, Jarrett returned to Florida State, assisting legendary 40-year Seminoles head coach Mike Martin, who retired this spring. "Link was a self-made player," Martin said. "He got my attention early with his work ethic, intelligence and desire. When he became a coach with us, it truly reinforced what I had always thought — that one day he was going to be a Division I head coach. "Notre Dame will excel under his leadership." Jarrett earned a bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in psychology from Florida State in 1994. He and wife, Jennifer, have two children, J.T. — a starting infielder for the North Carolina State Wolf- pack — and Dawson. ✦ Link Jarrett Is Hired As Notre Dame's Baseball Coach The Long Road Back Following a remarkable run of 13 NCAA Regionals, highlighted by the 2002 College World Series, in 19 seasons under first Pat Murphy (1988-94) and then Paul Mainieri (1995-2006), the Notre Dame baseball program has wallowed in mediocrity. The Fighting Irish have been to one NCAA Tournament the past 13 seasons and achieved only four winning records in that span, finishing 24-30 each of the past two seasons and 26-32 the year prior. Under Dave Schrage (2007-10), now the head coach at Butler, Notre Dame never won another Big East title — finishing ninth in the league his final season with a 10-17 league mark and 22-32 overall. The Fighting Irish had won five straight conference crowns from 2002-06 under Mainieri, who then accepted the more prestigious LSU job. Enter Mik Aoki (recently named head coach at Morehead State) in 2011. Notre Dame finished eighth, seventh and seventh in the Big East his first three years, and then moved into the far more difficult ACC in 2014. It was akin to an average math student suddenly getting thrust into advanced calculus. Although Notre Dame did make the 2015 NCAA Tournament, it has finished last or second to last in the Atlantic Division of the ACC five times in its six years in the league. — Lou Somogyi Jarrett, a two-time All-American shortstop on three College World Series teams at Florida State from 1991-94, spent the past seven years post- ing a record of 215-166 as the head coach at UNC Greensboro. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA