Who is Scott Forbes’ Director of Pitching Perfomance Jason Howell?

The pitching of Jake Knapp, Jason DeCaro, Walker McDuffie, Aidan Haugh, and Ryan Lynch were all instrumental in UNC's success, winning the ACC Championship and hosting during the NCAA postseason before eventually falling to the Arizona Wildcats in three games with the chance to go to Omaha.

Although their success can also be credited to Director of Sports Performance Jason Howell, who looks into the data — details that go what's seen on the diamond.

Jun 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes during an interview with the media after a Super Regionals game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Scott Forbes also celebrates his 200th win. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Beneath is more on Howell in his role and what he has achieved during his time in Chapel Hill, per GoHeels:

"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 12thtime 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."

Next year, UNC has a good chance to make the College World Series (as projected by D1Baseball) with Jason DeCaro becoming the likely ace pitcher, but Howell will contiue to have his handy numbers to provide the most effcient gamplan as possible. Head Coach Scott Forbes will be without catcher Luke Stevenson due to his journey off to the pros, but the team should adapt to the change in 2026.

Please follow us on X when you click right here!

Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right here!