Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
After spending four seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, former Tar Heel letterwinner Jason Howell is in his second season as an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina.
A two-way standout at Carolina, Howell works with both the Tar Heels' pitchers and hitters and serves as the team's first base coach. He also is involved in on-campus recruiting and administrative duties and directs the program's summer camps.
Howell played a key role in the Tar Heels' record-setting 2006 campaign, which featured a school-record 54 wins and the program's fifth trip to the College World Series.
After retiring from professional baseball in April 2005, Howell broke into coaching that summer as an assistant with the Southern Ohio Copperheads of the Great Lakes League, a collegiate wooden bat summer league. With the Copperheads, he served as the team's pitching coach and assisted the head coach and general manager in day-to-day activities. Howell has also worked several camps at Carolina, Appalachian State and Ohio University.
After being signed out of Carolina by the Red Sox, Howell pitched four years in the organization and compiled a 28-14 career record with 23 saves and a 3.86 earned runs average. In 2002, he went 7-3 with a 2.05 ERA for Augusta and led all Red Sox minor leaguers with 17 saves. His 48 appearances for Sarasota in 2003 were also tops in the organization.
A transfer from Appalachian State, Howell played one season for the Tar Heels and earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in 2001. On the mound, he was 6-2 with a 4.33 ERA and led the team with four saves. Howell also played first base, right field and designated hitter and was second on the team with a .350 average. He drove in 29 runs and tallied one homer, two triples and 13 doubles. Howell earned the S.H. Basnight Award as the Tar Heels' most valuable pitcher.
A graduate of West Wilkes High School and a native of Millers Creek, N.C., Howell played at ASU from 1998-2000 and earned Academic All-Southern Conference honors in 1999. He graduated from UNC with a Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies in August 2002.
