University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Baseball
Johnston, Jonathan
Jonathan Johnston
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- baseball@unca.edu
- Phone:
- 251-6903
Jonathan Johnston has been with the UNC Asheville baseball program for three seasons, serving as the recruiting coordinator, hitting coach and catching coach for the Bulldogs.
The 2017 Bulldogs were probably a year ahead of where head coach Scott Friedholm and others expected them to be as evidence by UNC Asheville being picked to finish 10th in the conference prior to the season by the league’s coaches. With a young roster that featured 16 underclassmen, including nine freshmen, the Bulldogs mounted a successful campaign that saw them claim 25 victories, including six series wins, en route to finishing tied for fifth in the regular-season league standings with an 11-13 record. UNC Asheville capped the year by advancing to the Big South Conference Baseball Championship for the first time since 2012.
The 25 wins is tied for sixth-most in program history and marked the second time in the Scott Friedholm era that a team had collected at least 20 wins, becoming just the fourth Bulldog head coach to win 20 or more games in multiple seasons. More importantly, the Bulldogs were not swept during the season and were the only Big South Conference team to defeat every other program in the league during the campaign.
During the season, the Bulldogs took series wins over Iona, UMBC and Longwood at home and also claimed road series over Presbyterian and Campbell and won two-of-three in Spartanburg in the second weekend of the season. The Bulldogs also posted a winning record at home (12-11) for the first time since 2012, when UNC Asheville also finished 12-11.
The 2017 Bulldogs went 11-13 in Big South Conference action, finishing tied for fifth in the league standings to earn the No. 6 seed in the league tournament. The 11 wins in conference action were the most since the Bulldogs won 12 league games in 2012.
Earning a berth into the postseason was not enough for the Bulldogs as the team won a game in the postseason tournament for the first time since 2008 and then took it another step further by winning multiple games (2) while advancing to the semifinal round for the first time since the 2007 season.
Following the season, Joe Tietjen was named an honorable mention All-Big South player and earned his second Big South Conference All-Academic Team honor. Freshman Brandon Lankford was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News, a first for the program since 2004, and earned Big South Championship All-Tournament honors for his efforts during the tourney. During the season, freshman Chris Troost was named the Big South’s first-ever Freshman of the Week and Lankford earned the honor the following week.
Statistically, the Bulldogs saw a 10-year low in errors in the field and posted a 10-year high in fielding percentage as a team while the Bulldog outfielders finished second in the nation for outfield assists with 18. The Bulldogs also caught 33 runners attempting to steal, a 10-year high. On offense, the Bulldogs posted the most stolen bases (56) since the 2010 team swiped 58 and had the most extra-base knocks (134) since the 2008 team recorded 178.
The 2016 campaign saw the Bulldogs finish the season with a 16-38 record, including a 3-2 road win over 11th-ranked UNC. The win over the nationally-ranked Tar Heels marked the first time any UNC Asheville program had bested a team from UNC. Asheville also claimed series over Mount St. Mary’s, Presbyterian College and Charleston Southern.
Following the season, outfielder Joe Tietjen was named to the All-Big South Second Team as well as the Big South Conference All-Academic Team.
In his first season with the Bulldogs, the 2015 Asheville team finished with a 21-34 overall record in a season that saw several individual superlatives as well as the offense improving its production by more than 100 runs in just a year, ending the season in the Top 80 among NCAA Division I teams in runs scored. Senior Tommy Houmard was named an All-Big South Conference first-team selection, while fellow senior Hunter Bryant was a second-team selection. The pair, along with senior Nick Schavone, were each named second-team All-State performers by the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) as well.
Houmard finished the season as one of the top 25 shortstops in the country and was on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for the entire season after being one of over 100 players on the initial preseason listing.
Prior to joining UNC Asheville, Johnston spent three years at UC San Diego, where he was responsible for coaching the Tritons’ hitting, catching and base running while also heading up recruiting. While at UC San Diego, he helped guide the Tritons to two NCAA Regionals, two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships and one league regular season title.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Johnston played two seasons in the Oakland Athletics Minor League organization.
Prior to the completion of his playing career, Johnston served four years and four months as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. He complete three deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was the Officer of the Deck on the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) when the ship thwarted an attempted pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden.
Johnston played four seasons as a catcher at the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) from 2003-06. He set the single season record for stolen bases at 35, scored 51 runs and led the pitching staff to a school record ERA during a 32-win senior season. In 2007, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics.
Johnston graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006 with a B.S. in Ocean Engineering. He earned his Master’s degree in Sport Leadership from VCU in 2013. He and his wife Angela were married in February of 2012 and they have one son, Ty.
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The 2017 Bulldogs were probably a year ahead of where head coach Scott Friedholm and others expected them to be as evidence by UNC Asheville being picked to finish 10th in the conference prior to the season by the league’s coaches. With a young roster that featured 16 underclassmen, including nine freshmen, the Bulldogs mounted a successful campaign that saw them claim 25 victories, including six series wins, en route to finishing tied for fifth in the regular-season league standings with an 11-13 record. UNC Asheville capped the year by advancing to the Big South Conference Baseball Championship for the first time since 2012.
The 25 wins is tied for sixth-most in program history and marked the second time in the Scott Friedholm era that a team had collected at least 20 wins, becoming just the fourth Bulldog head coach to win 20 or more games in multiple seasons. More importantly, the Bulldogs were not swept during the season and were the only Big South Conference team to defeat every other program in the league during the campaign.
During the season, the Bulldogs took series wins over Iona, UMBC and Longwood at home and also claimed road series over Presbyterian and Campbell and won two-of-three in Spartanburg in the second weekend of the season. The Bulldogs also posted a winning record at home (12-11) for the first time since 2012, when UNC Asheville also finished 12-11.
The 2017 Bulldogs went 11-13 in Big South Conference action, finishing tied for fifth in the league standings to earn the No. 6 seed in the league tournament. The 11 wins in conference action were the most since the Bulldogs won 12 league games in 2012.
Earning a berth into the postseason was not enough for the Bulldogs as the team won a game in the postseason tournament for the first time since 2008 and then took it another step further by winning multiple games (2) while advancing to the semifinal round for the first time since the 2007 season.
Following the season, Joe Tietjen was named an honorable mention All-Big South player and earned his second Big South Conference All-Academic Team honor. Freshman Brandon Lankford was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball News, a first for the program since 2004, and earned Big South Championship All-Tournament honors for his efforts during the tourney. During the season, freshman Chris Troost was named the Big South’s first-ever Freshman of the Week and Lankford earned the honor the following week.
Statistically, the Bulldogs saw a 10-year low in errors in the field and posted a 10-year high in fielding percentage as a team while the Bulldog outfielders finished second in the nation for outfield assists with 18. The Bulldogs also caught 33 runners attempting to steal, a 10-year high. On offense, the Bulldogs posted the most stolen bases (56) since the 2010 team swiped 58 and had the most extra-base knocks (134) since the 2008 team recorded 178.
The 2016 campaign saw the Bulldogs finish the season with a 16-38 record, including a 3-2 road win over 11th-ranked UNC. The win over the nationally-ranked Tar Heels marked the first time any UNC Asheville program had bested a team from UNC. Asheville also claimed series over Mount St. Mary’s, Presbyterian College and Charleston Southern.
Following the season, outfielder Joe Tietjen was named to the All-Big South Second Team as well as the Big South Conference All-Academic Team.
In his first season with the Bulldogs, the 2015 Asheville team finished with a 21-34 overall record in a season that saw several individual superlatives as well as the offense improving its production by more than 100 runs in just a year, ending the season in the Top 80 among NCAA Division I teams in runs scored. Senior Tommy Houmard was named an All-Big South Conference first-team selection, while fellow senior Hunter Bryant was a second-team selection. The pair, along with senior Nick Schavone, were each named second-team All-State performers by the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) as well.
Houmard finished the season as one of the top 25 shortstops in the country and was on the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List for the entire season after being one of over 100 players on the initial preseason listing.
Prior to joining UNC Asheville, Johnston spent three years at UC San Diego, where he was responsible for coaching the Tritons’ hitting, catching and base running while also heading up recruiting. While at UC San Diego, he helped guide the Tritons to two NCAA Regionals, two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships and one league regular season title.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Johnston played two seasons in the Oakland Athletics Minor League organization.
Prior to the completion of his playing career, Johnston served four years and four months as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. He complete three deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He was the Officer of the Deck on the USS Peleliu (LHA-5) when the ship thwarted an attempted pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden.
Johnston played four seasons as a catcher at the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) from 2003-06. He set the single season record for stolen bases at 35, scored 51 runs and led the pitching staff to a school record ERA during a 32-win senior season. In 2007, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics.
Johnston graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006 with a B.S. in Ocean Engineering. He earned his Master’s degree in Sport Leadership from VCU in 2013. He and his wife Angela were married in February of 2012 and they have one son, Ty.
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| Jonathan Johnston's Career | |||
| 2014-Pres. | UNC Asheville | Recruiting Coordinator/Hitting Coach/Catching Coach | |
| 2011-14 | UC San Diego | Recruiting Coordinator/Hitting Coach/Catching Coach | |
| 2007-11 | Oakland Athletics | Player | |
| 2006-10 | United States Navy | Surface Warfare Officer | |
| 2003-06 | The Naval Academy | Player | |
Highlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville vs Presbyterian (Game 3)
Tuesday, May 28
Highlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville at Presbyterian (Game 2)
Tuesday, May 28
Highlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville at Presbyterian (Game 1)
Tuesday, May 28
Highlights || Baseball || UNC Asheville vs Gardner-Webb (Game 3)
Monday, May 13
