Notre Dame announces Link Jarrett as new head baseball coach

Notre Dame announced Link Jarrett as new Irish head baseball coach Friday, ending a month-long search since the termination of former Irish head coach Mik Aoki’s contract.

Jarrett, who spent the past seven years as head baseball coach at UNC Greensboro, will become the 21st coach in program history for the Irish. Over the past four years under Jarrett, the Spartans have won at least 34 games a season, including a 2017 NCAA Tournament appearance that was the first for the program in 20 years. He was recognized for his success, earning the honor of Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2016 and 2018. Prior to taking over the Spartans, Jarrett worked as an assistant coach for Auburn, East Carolina, Mercer, Florida State — his alma mater where he played shortstop — and Flagler.

While at Florida State, Jarrett started for the Seminoles as they advanced to three College World Series. The native of Tallahassee, Florida, still holds the NCAA in assists (802). Once his career with the Seminoles ended, Jarrett was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 1994 MLB Draft in the 22nd round. He played in the minor leagues for several seasons before taking a position at Flagler.

Jarrett is inheriting a Notre Dame program that hasn’t made an NCAA Tournament appearance in over four years. While the Irish had a strong run from the late 1990s into the early 2000s, they’ve struggled to perform consistently over the past decade. The team wrapped up their third-straight losing season before parting ways with Aoki, who had been at the helm for the Irish since being hired in 2010.

While Notre Dame isn’t expected to take the field until mid-February, Jarrett will take over a squad of mostly sophomores and juniors this offseason, eager to prepare them for the season.