Records Book - UNC Wilmington Athletics

2011 UNCW baseball records book
Jason Howell
Jason Howell completed his third season with the Seahawk program in 2009-10 as UNCW reached the finals of the CAA
tournament for the second straight season and fourth time overall.
Under the direction of Howell, UNCW returned to the top of the CAA, leading the 11-team circuit in ERA (4.58), strikeouts
(479) and opponent’s batting average (.265). The Seahawks ranked 42nd nationally in ERA and were ninth in hits allowed per
game, allowing nine per nine innings.
Cameron Roth, who would be drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, finished fifth in the conference with a 2.98 ERA while Tyler McSwain was ninth
with a 4.02 mark. Joining Roth as draft selections were Stephen Harrold (12th round, San Francisco) and Seth Frankoff (27th round, Oakland).
In his first season, Howell made an immediate impact on the staff. Brad Holt and Jeff Hatcher earned first-team All-CAA honors while freshmen
Stephen Harrold and Cameron Roth were named All-America in addition to their CAA All-Freshman honors under his guidance. UNCW topped the
Colonial Athletic Association in earned run average. In conference play, Seahawk pitchers compiled a league-leading 3.84 ERA and held opponents
to a .255 batting average to also pace the 11-team circuit.
Holt, who also earned three All-America honors, was the 33rd pick overall in the Major League Baseball draft after leading the conference with
11 wins and ranking second with a 3.18 ERA.
In 2009, the Seahawks finished third in the CAA in earned run average and boasted one of the top bullpens in the league. Bryan Booth and
Tyler McSwain ranked among the conference leaders with six and four saves, respectively. Booth (37) and Steven Davis (29), a CAA All-Rookie selection,
finished 1-2 in appearances and McSwain finished fourth with 27.
Daniel Cropper, who missed the previous season (2008) with an injury, rebounded in 2009 and was selected by the Washington Nationals in
the MLB draft, but choose to return to school for his junior season.
A native of Millers Creek, N.C., Howell came to UNCW following two seasons as an assistant coach at UNC Chapel Hill. He coached 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 Omaha, Neb., in 2007 and 2008. The 2007 pitching staff
fashioned a 3.52 earned run average, ranking 12th nationally, and featured draft picks Luke Putkonen (3rd round, Detroit), Andrew Carignan (5th
round, Oakland) and Robert Woodard (20th round, San Diego). In 2006, major league draft selections, Andrew Miller (1st round, Detroit), Daniel
Bard (1st round, Boston) and national ERA leader Jonathan Hovis (FA, New York (AL)) led the Tar Heels into the finals.
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.
He played three seasons at Appalachian State before concluding his collegiate career at UNC Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in
2002. He also graduated from the school 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.
Prior to joining the UNC coaching staff, Howell was a member of the Boston Red Sox farm system for four 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.
Howell is no stranger to the Port City, though. He spent the 1999 and 2000 summer seasons as a member of the Wilmington Sharks of the
Coastal Plain League, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.57 ERA in 2000.
Howell married the former Meredith White on Nov. 14, 2009. The couple resides in Wilmington with their two dogs, Bodie and Jasper.
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