By Staff
ECU Sports Information
AUBURN, Ala. – Link Jarrett, who spent the past four seasons as the hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator at East Carolina, has been named the Director of Player Development by Auburn head baseball coach John Pawlowski. Jarrett, who played at Florida State from 1991-94 and with the Colorado Rockies organization from 1994-98, has also made coaching stops at Flagler College (2000-02), Florida State (2003) and Mercer (2004-05) before moving on to ECU beginning in 2006.
"Auburn University has a very rich, proud tradition in baseball. I have known John Pawlowski and (Assistant Coach) Scott Foxhall for eight years and they are proven winners and people I respect tremendously," Jarrett said. "(Assistant Coach) Jeff Duncan and (Director of Baseball Operations) Scott Duval were awesome to meet and were so helpful and open in our conversations about Auburn, the baseball program, and the community."
In his role at Auburn, Jarrett will coordinate and implement the practice plan for the student-athletes on and off the field while assisting Foxhall with all recruiting efforts. He will also work with the hitters alongside Duncan while paying special attention to the catchers defensively.
"We are very fortunate to have Link Jarrett join the Auburn Tiger baseball family," Pawlowski said. "He represents the integrity and characteristics on and off the field that will help us continue to build a championship program. Our team will benefit from his coaching, and his playing experiences at Florida State and with the Colorado Rockies organization and his trips to the College World Series will be invaluable to us. "
"The vision and plan that JP (Pawlowski) and Fox (Foxhall) shared with me was an exciting plan and I wanted to be a part of it. JP expressed to me the style of baseball he preferred to play, and also the type of players that he and Fox have been recruiting to Auburn. This balanced style of play and recruiting plan also excited me, and was a formula I am very comfortable with. The Auburn administration and community were very welcoming and accommodating to my family and me, and I am very excited to help JP, the staff and players fulfill their vision of getting Auburn back into the national spotlight."
Jarrett and East Carolina advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons, with the team making a Super Regional appearance this past May and finishing the year 46-20 while winning the Conference USA regular season championship and NCAA Greenville Regional Championship. East Carolina was one of the most prolific offenses in the nation this past year, finishing with a NCAA-best 814 hits, was fourth in runs scored (565), sixth in doubles (154), seventh in home runs (108), 12th in slugging percentage (.546) and 15th in batting average (.339) while also leading Conference USA with a .415 on-base percentage, 523 RBI and 1,310 total bases and a .971 fielding percentage.
As the recruiting coordinator, he has signed and coached the last two Conference USA Newcomers of the Year, the 2008 Conference USA Player of the Year, the 2008 Freshman of the Year and 2006 Johnny Bench Award Winner Jake Smith, who was named the nation's top catcher after hitting .344 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI.
"Link has been the recruiting coordinator for the past six years and has left his mark on both the East Carolina and Mercer programs. The type of players and quality of those student-athletes he has recruited, speaks for itself," Pawlowski said. "He brings with him energy, enthusiasm and a very organized and structured approach to coaching. The success he has had as a player and coach will benefit our program as we continue to improve and compete on a national level."
Jarrett was the starting shortstop on three College World Series teams at Florida State (1991, '92 and '94) and was named a NCBWA All-American in both 1993 and 1994. Still the NCAA record holder for career assists with 802, he also holds the FSU record for consecutive games played (235) and at bats (989), leading the team with a .325 batting average as a sophomore in 1992.
Jarrett replaces Matt Heath, who resigned at the end of the 2009 season.