Wolfpack adds Joey Holcomb to coaching staff; Cooper and Gauthier no longer on roster

The NC State baseball program has added Joey Holcomb to the coaching staff. Holcomb replaces Austin Morgan as the third assistant on the staff. Associate Head Coach Chris Hart and Pitching Coach Clint Chrysler will return for the 2020 season.

Holcomb comes from UNC-Greensboro, where he spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach for Link Jarrett, including serving as the Recruiting Coordinator for the last four seasons after spending his first three seasons in Greensboro as a volunteer assistant. Jarrett, father of NC State junior J.T. Jarrett, left the Spartans in July to become the new head coach at Notre Dame.

UNC-G teams under Jarrett and Holcomb were known for their offensive prowess, while being good-not-great on defense and the mound - with the exception of the 2018 team that went 39-15. In particular, Holcomb worked with catchers at UNC-G, as position that was routinely solid for the Spartans. He also directed the offense from the third base coaching position.

Holcomb was with Jarrett for the entirety of Jarrett’s tenure in Greensboro, revitalizing a program that had lacked sustained and consistent success year-over-year for quite some time. Over the past four seasons, the Spartans went a combined 147-80 with a 62-32 record in the Southern Conference, with an outright SoCon regular season championship in 2018. That was the best four year run for the program in two decades.

Holcomb was in the running for the head job at UNC-G following Jarrett’s departure, but the job was eventually awarded to former East Carolina head coach Billy Godwin. Oddly enough (or maybe not), Jarrett was an assistant coach at ECU under Godwin during the peak of Godwin’s time in Greenville with some of the Pirates most prolific teams, including the 2009 Super Regional team.

This is a fantastic hire for NC State, although likely not a long-term hire as Holcomb is far better than a #3 coach for a team, even in a conference as strong as the ACC.

On a roster note, INF Dillon Cooper and RHP Mathieu Gauthier are no longer on the roster. Cooper graduated in the spring and participated in Senior Day activities, but still has one year of playing eligibility remaining. It’s unclear if he’s transferred or decided to join the workforce.

Gauthier has transferred to West Texas A&M, where he’ll spend his final year of eligibility. The Buffs are a Division II program in the Lone Star Conference and went 41-12 in 2019.

Best of luck to both Cooper and Gauthier in their future endeavors!