Scott Jackson - Baseball Coach - University of North Carolina Athletics

Scott Jackson

Title:
Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Email:
unc-baseball@unc.edu
Phone:
919-962-2351

Scott Jackson returned to North Carolina as assistant baseball coach and the recruiting coordinator in July 2024 after spending eight seasons as the head coach at Liberty University from 2016 to 2024.

The 2024-25 campaign will be Jackson's ninth overall season as an assistant coach with the Tar Heels. He was part of the coaching staff from 2009-2015 before leaving to become the head coach at Liberty.

Jackson posted a career record of 246-181 in eight years at Liberty and guided the Flames to five 30-plus win seasons, including a pair of 40-win campaigns. His 246 career wins and .576 winning percentage ranks third in program history among the program's seven head coaches.

Jackson was the first coach in program history to lead the Flames to three NCAA Regional appearances (2019, 2021 and 2022), including a pair of at-large selections in 2021 and 2022.

The Flames won a program-record 43 games in 2019 and captured their first ASUN Championship to secure the conference’s NCAA automatic bid to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. After the season, he was named the ASUN Coach of the Year and the VaSID Coach of the Year

Under his tutelage, Liberty had 15 players selected in the MLB Draft and 16 go on to the professional ranks during the last eight years. More than a dozen players received first-team all-conference honors and six were selected All-America.

During his first eight seasons in Chapel Hill, Jackson helped North Carolina post a 345-156 record, make three College World Series appearances (2009, 2011 and 2013), advance to six straight NCAA Regionals (2009-14) and win the 2013 ACC Championship.

After joining the coaching staff at North Carolina in July 2008, Jackson helped the Tar Heels have 44 players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft including coaching and/or recruiting eight first round picks, seven top-5 round picks, and 10 top-10 round picks.

Jackson helped coach three-time All-American and 2009 ACC Player of the Year Dustin Ackley, who drafted by the Seattle Mariners with second overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. He also tutored 2013 ACC Player of the Year Colin Moran who was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award and led the nation with 91 RBIs before being drafted sixth overall by Miami Marlins in 2013.

He was a big part of Levi Michael's development. Michael was a freshman All-America as a second baseman before making the move to third base in 2010 and to shortstop for the 2011 campaign. Michael's versatility appealed to the Twins, who selected the infielder 30th overall in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Jackson helped assemble seven top-seven recruiting classes from 2010 to 2016, including the top-ranked class in 2016, which featured Tyler Baum, Austin Bergner and current Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch.

The 2010 group of newcomers ranked No. 7 nationally, the 2011 class was ranked No. 6, the 2012 crop was ranked No. 4, the 2013 edition was ranked No. 5, the incoming class of 2014 was ranked No. 1 and the 2015 edition was ranked No. 5.

Before the 2013 season, Jackson was recognized by Baseball America as one of the top assistant coaches in the country. His efforts in building the Tar Heel roster and player development helped produce the most successful season in UNC Baseball history. The Tar Heels advanced to the College World Series and were one of the final three teams remaining in Omaha. The 2013 squad finished 59-12 overall and 21-7 in ACC play while recording Carolina's third ACC Championship. However, perhaps the biggest feat of the 2013 Tar Heels was that they never lost back-to-back games at any time during the season.

Jackson's work with the Carolina infield came to fruition in 2011 as the Tar Heels finished fifth in the country and set a new school record with a .979 fielding percentage. Not a single player on the squad committed more than nine errors in 67 games.

Prior to joining the staff at UNC, Jackson served as pitching coach at Liberty and UNC Wilmington but has worked with hitters in coaching stops at Campbell, Barton and Wofford. He also served as head coach of the Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League in 2002 and earned the league's Coach of the Year Award.

In 2008 at Liberty, Jackson helped guide the Flames to a 35-26-1 record and a runner-up finish in the Big South Tournament to Cary Super Regional participant Coastal Carolina. Two of his pitchers were chosen in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, and his staff recorded a school record 508 strikeouts.

Jackson helped guide UNC Wilmington to one of the most successful periods in school history from 2003-07. He was an integral part of a staff that posted three straight 40-win seasons, won Colonial Athletic Association titles in 2004 and 2006 and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Under Jackson's tutelage, six Seahawk pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft after going undrafted out of high school. His pitching staff established a number of school records at Wilmington, including strikeouts and saves.

Jackson also had coaching stints at Campbell (2002), Barton (2001) and Wofford (2000). In addition to his collegiate work, Jackson also spent two seasons with the Wilmington Sharks, where he was an assistant to fellow North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes in 2000. He led the Sharks to a league-best 31-17 mark in 2002 as head coach and coached five MLB draft picks.

Jackson is a 1998 graduate of Campbell with a bachelor's degree in physical education and he earned a master's degree in education in 2000, also from Campbell. During his playing days with the Camels, he played seven different positions and posted a career .268 batting average in 182 games.

A Charlotte native, Jackson is married to the former Sara Moore, who was a standout basketball player at Campbell. The couple has two sons, Ryan and Tyler.