2012 Arkansas Baseball Guide

Page 30

DAVE JORN Dave

Jorn

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Pitching Coach 16th Season - Southeast Missouri State, 1981

Beginning his 16th overall season with the Razorbacks, Dave Jorn has made a lasting and profound impression on the baseball program. In his second stint with Arkansas, Jorn is beginning his 10th season as the pitching coach with head coach Dave Van Horn Jorn’s unmistakable impact on the Razorback baseball program can not only be seen on the pitcher’s mound but in the locker room and on the draft boards of every Major League Baseball team. During two assistant coaching stints in Fayetteville, Jorn has been a part of 627 wins, four trips to the College World Series and 14 NCAA Tournament berths. In addition, the Hogs have enjoyed 10 40-win seasons, two 50-win campaigns and his Razorback pitchers have tossed five no-hit games. Jorn returned to Arkansas in 2003 after a 14-year career in Major League Baseball as a coach for the New York Mets, New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to working in the pros, he spent six years with the Razorbacks under legendary Arkansas head coach Norm DeBriyn. In his second tour of duty with the Razorbacks, he has revived Arkansas’ pitching fortunes once again. Jorn’s pitching staff in 2011 was one of the best in recent memory for Arkansas. The Razorback pitchers finished the season with a team ERA of 3.20, ranking 27th nationally. Arkansas’ team ERA was the eighth-best in program history and the best since 1982 when Arkansas pitchers posted a 3.00 ERA. The Razorback pitching staff combined to allow just 7.86 hits per nine innings, which ranked them 14th in the country. The Razorback bullpen was particularly strong in 2011, setting a new single-season school record with 20 saves and posting a 20-8 record with a 2.51 ERA. Three of Jorn’s pupils earned conference and national recognition following the 2011 season. Staff ace DJ Baxendale was named second-team All-SEC and earned All-Region honors after finishing his junior season with a 10-2 record, three saves and a 1.58 ERA. Baxendale was the first Razorback pitcher to record double-digit wins in a season since Nick Schmidt in 2007 and posted the fifth-lowest ERA in program history. Freshmen pitchers Barrett Astin and Nolan Sanburn each earned freshman All-America honors following the season. Astin appeared in a team-high 27 games and had a 5-2 record with three saves and 2.72 ERA. Sanburn led Arkansas with eight saves and compiled a 2-4 record with a 3.62 ERA. In 2010, the Arkansas pitching staff was one of the best in the Southeastern Conference. The Razorback rotation finished the year with a 3.93 ERA, finishing third in the conference and posting the first sub-4.00 ERA since the 2007 season. Arkansas pitchers also posted the second-best strikeout to walk ratio in school history at 2.92, fanning 551 batters and issuing just 189 bases on balls. The ace of the Razorback pitching staff in 2010 was Drew Smyly. The southpaw finished the year with a 9-1 record and a 2.80 ERA. He was recognized for his stellar season by earning All-SEC honors. Smyly was drafted in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers with the 68th overall pick. Jorn’s 2007 starting rotation was possibly the best three-man rotation in college baseball and one of the best in school history. Nick Schmidt, who

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JORN PERSONAL FILE Date of Birth: Oct. 2, 1954 Wife: Melinda Children: Christina, Molly and Maggie Alma Mater: Southeast Missouri State • 1981 Head Coaching Experience: Staten Island Yankees - A (Yankees) • 2001 South Bend Silver Hawks - A (Diamondbacks) • 2000 Assistant Coaching Experience: Arkansas • 2003-present New York Yankees Scout • 2001-02 South Bend Silver Hawks - A (Diamondbacks) • 1999-2000 Lethbridge, Alberta- R (Diamondbacks) • 1998 Columbia Bombers - A (Mets) • 1997 Kingsport Mets - A (Mets) • 1995-96 Columbia Bombers - A (Mets) • 1993-94 Albany Yankees - AA (Yankees) • 1991-92 Greensboro Bats - A (Yankees) • 1990 Prince William Cannons - A (Yankees) • 1989 Arkansas • 1983-88 Lurleen B. Wallace (Ala.) Junior College • 1982 Playing Experience: Springfield (Ill.) - AAA (Cardinals) • 1981 Little Rock (Ark.) - AA (Cardinals) • 1980 St. Petersburg (Fla.) - A (Cardinals) • 1978-79 Gastonia (N.C.) - A (Cardinals) • 1977 Sarasota (Fla.) - R (Cardinals) • 1976 garnered All-America honors for the second-consecutive season, anchored a rotation that included junior college transfers Jess Todd and Duke Welker. The trio combined for 27 wins, 315 innings, a .217 opponent batting average and 319 strikeouts. Under Jorn’s guidance, Schmidt finished his three-year Razorback career as one of the most-decorated players to ever don an Arkansas uniform. His 11-3 record and career-low 2.69 ERA in 2007 cumulated a career that pro-

The Jorn family (L to R): Melinda, Dave and Maggie

2012 ARKANSAS BASEBALL MEDIA GUIDE


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