Baseball
Howell, Jason
Jason Howell
- Title:
- Director of Pitching Performance, Development and Analytics
- Email:
- unc-baseball@unc.edu
- Phone:
- 919-962-2351
Jason Howell is in his seventh season, fifth consecutive, as a member of the coaching staff at UNC and his second as Director of Pitching Performance, Development and Analytics after joining the Tar Heel coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach.
Howell, who served as a graduate assistant coach with the Tar Heels in 2006 and 2007, returned to Carolina in the fall of 2020 after serving as the Area Scouting Supervisor of the Mid-Atlantic Region (N.C., Va., D.C., Md. and Del.) for the Chicago White Sox organization.
He spent his first three seasons in Chapel Hill instructing the outfielders and coaching first base, before assuming his new role during the summer of 2023.
Howell is instrumental in leading the program's enhancement and use of pitching-specific technologies, including Trackman and Edgertronic, and in implementing the Newtforce mound, which provides access to cutting-edge ground force data capture abilities.
In his first season as Director of Pitching Performance and Development, the Tar Heels reached the College World Series for the 12th time in program history and captured their eighth ACC Coastal Division title.
Matthew Matthijs and Dalton Pence earned All-America accolades and Jason DeCaro was named Freshman All-America. Junior Shea Sprague and DeCaro were both named Second Team All-ACC while Matthijs and Pence received third-team all-conference honors.
Sprague ranked among the top-6 in the conference in fewest walks per nine innings (2nd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4th) and WHIP (6th), while DeCaro posted the league's sixth-lowest ERA (3.81). As a team, UNC posted the lowest ERA in the ACC (4.30).
With Howell’s instruction, Pence, Sprague and Aidan Haugh mature into 2024 MLB Draft picks. Pence signed with the Texas Rangers, Sprague signed with the Red Sox, while Sprague elected to return to school after being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 16th round.
The Tar Heels have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in each of Howell's six seasons as a member of the coaching staff, advancing to the College World Series in 2006, 2007 and 2024. Since his return to the coaching staff in 2020, eight Tar Heel pitchers have been selected in the MLB Draft, and four more have signed undrafted free agent contracts.
Prior to his time with the White Sox, Howell spent seven seasons at Georgia Tech, where he led the pitching staff and served as the recruiting coordinator during the 2018-19 seasons.
While at Georgia Tech, Howell was a part of six Top-25 recruiting classes, which included Top-10 rankings in three of the six seasons and the fifth ranked class in 2019. Additionally, in 2019, the Yellow Jackets won the ACC Coastal Division and began the NCAA Tournament as the No.3 national seed.
Howell's pitchers routinely ranked among the best in the ACC. His staffs in 2018 and 2019 led the ACC in walks per nine innings while his 2018 squad paced the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Howell coached 11 All-Americans, 34 all-conference selections and nearly two dozen MLB draft picks during his time in Atlanta.
Prior to his time at Georgia Tech, Howell spent the 2008-12 seasons at UNCW, where the Seahawks won three CAA Conference Championships, two CAA Tournament Championships, and participated in two NCAA Regionals. As pitching coach, Howell led was part of a staff that coached the Seahawks to the CAA record for wins and conference wins while he also mentored seven All-Americans, 35 All-Conference selections and 15 MLB draft picks.
A 2002 graduate of North Carolina, Howell spent two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater under Hall of Fame coach Mike Fox, coaching first base while working with the pitching staff under the direction of assistant coach Scott Forbes.
The Tar Heels reached the championship series of the NCAA College World Series in 2006 and 2007 – both of Howell's years in Chapel Hill. In 2006, the club finished 54-15 overall and captured four CWS wins over Cal State Fullerton, twice, Clemson and Oregon State and saw two first round draft picks.
The 2007 staff fashioned a 3.52 ERA, ranking 12th nationally, and featured three MLB draft picks. The team made a College World Series run after beating South Carolina in the Chapel Hill NCAA Super Regional. The team captured CWS wins over Mississippi State, Louisville and Rice, twice, and finished with a 57-16 overall record.
Prior to joining the UNC coaching staff, Howell began his coaching career as a pitching coach for the Southern Ohio Copperheads of the Great Lakes League, a summer collegiate league, in 2005.
Before getting into coaching, Howell was a member of the Boston Red Sox farm system for five seasons before retiring from professional baseball in 2005. He compiled a 28-14 mark, collected 23 saves and recorded a 3.86 ERA with the Red Sox. In 2002, he paced Boston’s minor league circuit with 17 saves for Augusta and later topped the organization in 2003 when he made 48 appearances for Sarasota of the Florida State League.
He began his collegiate career at Appalachian State before transferring to UNC, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 2002. He also graduated from UNC in 2008 with a master’s degree.
In 2001, he earned second-team all-ACC honors after both pitching and playing in the field for the Tar Heels. On the mound, Howell went 6-2 with four saves and was also second on the team with a .350 batting average with 13 doubles and 29 runs batted in. For his efforts, Howell earned the S.H. Basnight Award as the Tar Heels’ Most Valuable Pitcher.
Howell is married to the former Meredith White. The couple has three children: Lena, Lillian and Hunt.
Howell, who served as a graduate assistant coach with the Tar Heels in 2006 and 2007, returned to Carolina in the fall of 2020 after serving as the Area Scouting Supervisor of the Mid-Atlantic Region (N.C., Va., D.C., Md. and Del.) for the Chicago White Sox organization.
He spent his first three seasons in Chapel Hill instructing the outfielders and coaching first base, before assuming his new role during the summer of 2023.
Howell is instrumental in leading the program's enhancement and use of pitching-specific technologies, including Trackman and Edgertronic, and in implementing the Newtforce mound, which provides access to cutting-edge ground force data capture abilities.
In his first season as Director of Pitching Performance and Development, the Tar Heels reached the College World Series for the 12th time in program history and captured their eighth ACC Coastal Division title.
Matthew Matthijs and Dalton Pence earned All-America accolades and Jason DeCaro was named Freshman All-America. Junior Shea Sprague and DeCaro were both named Second Team All-ACC while Matthijs and Pence received third-team all-conference honors.
Sprague ranked among the top-6 in the conference in fewest walks per nine innings (2nd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4th) and WHIP (6th), while DeCaro posted the league's sixth-lowest ERA (3.81). As a team, UNC posted the lowest ERA in the ACC (4.30).
With Howell’s instruction, Pence, Sprague and Aidan Haugh mature into 2024 MLB Draft picks. Pence signed with the Texas Rangers, Sprague signed with the Red Sox, while Sprague elected to return to school after being selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 16th round.
The Tar Heels have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in each of Howell's six seasons as a member of the coaching staff, advancing to the College World Series in 2006, 2007 and 2024. Since his return to the coaching staff in 2020, eight Tar Heel pitchers have been selected in the MLB Draft, and four more have signed undrafted free agent contracts.
Prior to his time with the White Sox, Howell spent seven seasons at Georgia Tech, where he led the pitching staff and served as the recruiting coordinator during the 2018-19 seasons.
While at Georgia Tech, Howell was a part of six Top-25 recruiting classes, which included Top-10 rankings in three of the six seasons and the fifth ranked class in 2019. Additionally, in 2019, the Yellow Jackets won the ACC Coastal Division and began the NCAA Tournament as the No.3 national seed.
Howell's pitchers routinely ranked among the best in the ACC. His staffs in 2018 and 2019 led the ACC in walks per nine innings while his 2018 squad paced the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Howell coached 11 All-Americans, 34 all-conference selections and nearly two dozen MLB draft picks during his time in Atlanta.
Prior to his time at Georgia Tech, Howell spent the 2008-12 seasons at UNCW, where the Seahawks won three CAA Conference Championships, two CAA Tournament Championships, and participated in two NCAA Regionals. As pitching coach, Howell led was part of a staff that coached the Seahawks to the CAA record for wins and conference wins while he also mentored seven All-Americans, 35 All-Conference selections and 15 MLB draft picks.
A 2002 graduate of North Carolina, Howell spent two seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater under Hall of Fame coach Mike Fox, coaching first base while working with the pitching staff under the direction of assistant coach Scott Forbes.
The Tar Heels reached the championship series of the NCAA College World Series in 2006 and 2007 – both of Howell's years in Chapel Hill. In 2006, the club finished 54-15 overall and captured four CWS wins over Cal State Fullerton, twice, Clemson and Oregon State and saw two first round draft picks.
The 2007 staff fashioned a 3.52 ERA, ranking 12th nationally, and featured three MLB draft picks. The team made a College World Series run after beating South Carolina in the Chapel Hill NCAA Super Regional. The team captured CWS wins over Mississippi State, Louisville and Rice, twice, and finished with a 57-16 overall record.
Prior to joining the UNC coaching staff, Howell began his coaching career as a pitching coach for the Southern Ohio Copperheads of the Great Lakes League, a summer collegiate league, in 2005.
Before getting into coaching, Howell was a member of the Boston Red Sox farm system for five seasons before retiring from professional baseball in 2005. He compiled a 28-14 mark, collected 23 saves and recorded a 3.86 ERA with the Red Sox. In 2002, he paced Boston’s minor league circuit with 17 saves for Augusta and later topped the organization in 2003 when he made 48 appearances for Sarasota of the Florida State League.
He began his collegiate career at Appalachian State before transferring to UNC, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 2002. He also graduated from UNC in 2008 with a master’s degree.
In 2001, he earned second-team all-ACC honors after both pitching and playing in the field for the Tar Heels. On the mound, Howell went 6-2 with four saves and was also second on the team with a .350 batting average with 13 doubles and 29 runs batted in. For his efforts, Howell earned the S.H. Basnight Award as the Tar Heels’ Most Valuable Pitcher.
Howell is married to the former Meredith White. The couple has three children: Lena, Lillian and Hunt.
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