UNCP Athletics

Boasting a track record of success at each of his previous coaching stops, Jeff Jefferson begins his 10th season as an assistant coach with the UNCP baseball team in 2023-24.
 
Jefferson trekked to Pembroke from Shepherdstown, W.Va., after spending the 2014 season as an assistant coach at Shepherd.
 
The Braves have seen an unprecedented run of offensive success since Jefferson joined the coaching staff, and have ranked among the nation’s top 10 scoring teams over that span as well. UNCP led the nation scoring (10.2 runs/game) during Jefferson’s first season in 2015, while boasting the nation’s third-best batting average (.353) and sixth-best slugging percentage (.542). The Black & Gold ranked 7^th among the nation’s scoring leaders in 2023 with 9.3 runs per game, and were listed 12th, nationally, in stolen bases per game with 2.71.
 
All told, the Braves have compiled a .322 team batting average over the last nine seasons under Jefferson’s tutelage, and have averaged 9.0 runs per game on the way to posting 290 victories. The Black & Gold has made five NCAA Tournament appearances over that span, while also boasting eight All-America awards as well.

Jefferson also took on the role of pitching coach in 2023, and led the Braves to a new school record for single-season strikeouts with 537. The Black & Gold pitching staff ranked 5th in the nation in strikeouts per 9 IP at 10.2. Jefferson led a Braves pitching staff that had the lowest batting average, OBP, and SLG% against since 2011, and their 4.40 team ERA was the lowest since the 2012 season. Braves pitchers also picked off the most guys since 2017. The Braves saw both Jonathan Jacobs and Trent Harris named to the Conference Carolinas All-Conference Team, with the latter signing a free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants. 
 
No stranger to success, Jefferson served an integral part of a coaching staff that helped lead Shepherd to a 39-14 record in 2014 – a run that included a Mountain East regular season championship and a trip to the NCAA Atlantic Regional. The Rams led the Mountain East in 18 different statistical categories, including batting average (.330), home runs (28) and scoring (6.9 runs/game). The 2014 squad also featured a pair of all-Americans in catcher Spencer Wolfe and outfielder Michael Lott.
 
Prior to his stint in Shepherdstown, Jefferson served two years (2012, 2013) as an assistant coach at nearby Concord as the hitting coach for the Mountain Lions. Concord posted a league-best .969 fielding percentage during Jefferson’s first season in southeast West Virginia and led the country with a .357 batting average in 2013. The Mountain Lions combined for 62 wins during Jefferson’s tenure.
 
A standout for coach Jim Toman at Liberty from 2008-11, Jefferson logged time in 134 career games for the Flames and finished his collegiate playing career with 34 extra-base hits (13 HR) and 83 runs scored. Jefferson was a part of four 30-win seasons in Lynchburg, Va., including a 43-18 campaign as a junior in 2010. Liberty combined for a 146-89-1 record with Jefferson on the roster.
 
Jefferson earned All-Valley League and Valley League All-Star recognition as a member of the Luray Wranglers from 2008-10, and took home the summer league’s Home Run Derby title in 2008 as well. He returned to the Valley League as the coach of the New Market Rebels in 2013.
 
Jefferson earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Liberty in 2011, and was awarded a master’s degree in health promotions from Concord in 2013. He currently resides in Lumberton.

Updated: August 2023