GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG baseball coach Mike Gaski announced on Monday the hiring of former Spartan standout Jarrett Santos and Russ Steinhorn as assistant coaches for the program.
"We are pleased to have Jarrett and Russ join our staff," said Gaski. "Both bring tremendous energy and expertise and are great additions to this university community."
Santos comes back to Greensboro after spending the past six seasons playing in the Florida Marlins' minor league organization. Santos will handle the pitching coach duties for the Spartans this season.
Following his two-year career at UNCG, Santos was drafted by the Marlins in the 34th round of the 2004 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Although he was used primarily as a reliever in his six seasons, Santos made 35 career starts where he posted a career win-loss line of 37-29 with a 3.37 ERA. After spending the first four years of his career floating between single-A and double-A, he began to rise through the ranks in 2008.
He began the year in high-A ball where he posted a 2.82 ERA in 13 games before being called up by the Carolina Mudcats, the double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins. There he went 5-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 29 appearances throughout the season. For his efforts, he was promoted to triple-A Albuquerque for his final four games of the year.
In 2009, he split time between double-A Jacksonville and Triple-A New Orleans. In 17 appearances for Jacksonville, Santos went 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA, while striking out 31 and walking just 11. Overall, he made 40 appearances and 15 starts in 2009 with a 3.85 ERA.
He finished his professional career earlier this season with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He went 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA, while striking out 50 batters and yielding just 15 walks, in 13 starts before retiring to take his current position at UNCG.
While at UNCG from 2003-04, Santos was a First-Team All-SoCon performer as a junior and earned second-team honors as a senior. In his first season, Santos led the team in wins (11), strikeouts (106) and innings pitched (101). He also set a new single-season mark in appearances with 41, a record that still stands today. As a senior, Santos went 9-3 out of the bullpen with a 3.92 ERA in 34 appearances.
Santos still finds his name in numerous places in the UNCG record books. He is still fourth all-time in school history in career winning percentage at .714 after posting a 20-8 record in his two seasons. He is also fifth all-time in career ERA and win with 3.58 and 20, respectively. He notched eight saves in his career, which ranks eighth all-time, as well.
Between his junior and senior seasons, Santos played for the Brewster Whitecaps of the prestigious Cape Cod League. There, he posted a 1.42 ERA while recording 11 saves and was named to the CCBL All-league pitching staff. Prior to coming to UNCG, Santos played two seasons at Reedley Junior College where he was named all-conference and earned team MVP honors both seasons.
Santos currently resides in Winston-Salem, N.C., with his wife, Laura, and their daughter, Carlin.
Steinhorn enters his first season as assistant baseball coach at UNCG after spending the last two years at Delaware State University as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator.
In 2009 under Steinhorn, the Delaware State pitching staff enjoyed newfound success on the mound. The pitching staff lowered the overall team ERA 3.29 runs under the direction of Steinhorn, while two of the pitchers received First-Team All Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honors. One player in particular, Dan Perkins, who was one of the all-conference performers, went on to be named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year. He was also drafted in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Colorado Rockies, making him the first player from Delaware State to be drafted since 2004.
Prior to coach at Delaware State, Steinhorn served as the pitching coach for the Allegany County Nitros in the New York Collegiate Baseball League. He also coached one year at his alma mater Edgewater High School in Orlando, Fla. At Edgewater, he coached seven players that signed NCAA Division I scholarships and four players who were taken in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Steinhorn has also been an instructor for college camps and showcases all over the country.
Steinhorn graduated from Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla. While at Southeastern, the team won four NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) national championships. He was a two-way player who was mostly a pitcher, but also saw action at second base and left field when not on the mound. During his final season, he was 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA and had a .373 batting average.
Steinhorn graduated from Southeastern University in May 2008 with a bachelor's degree in middle grades mathematics education and a minor in religious studies. In the summer of 2010, Steinhorn completed all of his requirements for a master's degree in sports administration from Delaware State.
- UNCG -
