Georgia Tech pitching coach Jason Howell will not return for his eighth season with the Yellow Jackets. Howell will leave by what was termed a mutual parting, according to an announcement from the athletic department Wednesday.
“I am appreciative of Jason’s service and dedication to our student-athletes at Georgia Tech,” coach Danny Hall said in a statement. “I will conduct a national search to find the best pitching coach to build on our momentum of being the No. 3 National Seed in the NCAA Tournament.”
Howell’s departure comes a month after the Yellow Jackets’ best season since 2011. Tech’s pitching staff finished with an ERA of 4.46, 95th in the country, an improvement from its 4.95 ERA in 2018. However, it was only the second time out of seven seasons that the Yellow Jackets ranked better than 155th nationally in ERA. Meanwhile, the team ranked in the top 75 in batting average five times in the same timespan.
“I appreciate my time at Tech and thank Coach Hall, the administration, and especially the players for the time spent, relationships developed, and mostly, the memories created,” Howell said in a statement.
Howell had five All-ACC pitchers during his tenure, including two-time first-team member Connor Thomas. The Jackets staff also was often hit with severe injuries, a problem that Hall and Howell sought to try to address. Two weekend starters, Brant Hurter and Xzavion Curry, both missed the final month of the season with arm injuries, compromising the Jackets' potential in the NCAA tournament. Tech earned the No. 3 national seed but lost in the regional round, finishing with a record of 43-19.
Howell also was recruiting coordinator for the past two seasons. His departure means that Hall’s on-field staff will be entirely new from the end of the 2018 season. Assistant James Ramsey and volunteer coach Dan Jaffe were hired by Hall before the 2019 season.
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