Scott Jackson, who spent eight seasons with the UNC baseball program before taking the head coaching job at Liberty in 2017, is returning to Chapel Hill to join Scott Forbes’ coaching staff. Jackson will be both an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

“I’m thankful that Coach Forbes has offered me a chance to return to North Carolina as an assistant coach,” Jackson said. “My family and I are excited to return to Chapel Hill and to coach alongside a man who is one of my closest friends.”

In Jackson’s first stint in Chapel Hill, the Diamond Heels made three Men’s College World Series Appearances and brought in seven recruiting classes which ranked in the nation’s top seven. He and Forbes were both assistant coaches under then-head coach Mike Fox.

Once he went to Liberty, Jackson led the Flames to three NCAA Tournament appearances. Liberty won the ASUN Championship in 2019 and Jackson earned conference Coach of the Year honors.

“Scott is a long-time friend of mine dating back to when we coached together with the Wilmington Sharks [of the Coastal Plain League] in 2000, and I’m so excited to have him back at North Carolina and on our coaching staff,” Forbes said. “He has a long track record of recruiting exceptional baseball players and young men and developing them into the best version of themselves. Our players and our program will benefit greatly from his expertise.”

In addition to Jackson’s hiring, assistant coach Jason Howell has been named UNC’s Director of Pitching Performance, Development and Analytics. Assistants Bryant Gaines and Jesse Wierzbicki will stay in their roles.

Jackson’s hiring has already made ripples in UNC’s recruiting efforts. Two Liberty standouts, outfielder Kane Kepley and pitcher Cale Bolton, have announced their intentions to transfer to Carolina. Meanwhile, high school prospect Sawyer Black, who had committed to Liberty initially, has flipped his commitment to the Tar Heels. Black is ranked as the top outfielder in North Carolina and the No. 3 player overall in the state.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Offense Explodes as UNC Baseball Blows Out Duke 22-5 in Series Finale
After scoring just four combined runs in the first two games of their series against Duke, the Diamond Heels broke out of their offensive slump with a 22-5, seven-inning win against the Blue Devils Saturday to clinch the series victory. The 22 runs were the program’s most in a single game since 2010 and its […]
Missed Opportunities Cost UNC Baseball in Loss at Duke
The Diamond Heels left 11 men on base on their way to a 3-1 loss at Duke Friday night, evening up the series with the Blue Devils at a game apiece. Duke capitalized on sloppy UNC defense in the first inning. After Carolina’s Ryan Lynch recorded the game’s first two outs, the next two Blue […]
DeCaro Dominates as UNC Baseball Beats Duke in Series Opener
Jason DeCaro allowed just three hits and one run across 7.2 innings in a 3-1 win for the Diamond Heels at Duke Thursday night. 𝐇𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞 1️⃣ Decaro out duels Duke and we open with a 𝙙𝙪𝙗!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/5LOXcbe51H — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) April 24, 2026 UNC’s bats struggled themselves for much of […]
UNC Baseball Rolls Past High Point in Midweek Matchup
The Diamond Heels scored three runs in the second inning and six in the fourth on their way to a 9-2 win against High Point at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday night. 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧 😤#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ILzX04V18m — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) April 22, 2026 Carolina’s nine runs came on just five hits, […]
UNC Baseball Drops Final Game of Weekend Series vs. No. 2 Georgia Tech
The Diamond Heels weren’t able to finish off a series sweep of No. 2 Georgia Tech in Chapel Hill Sunday, dropping the series finale 5-2 after winning Friday and Saturday. The Yellow Jackets led for nearly the entire game, striking quickly in the top of the first and then, after UNC tied it in the […]
UNC Baseball Cruises by UNC-Wilmington for 3rd Consecutive Win
The Diamond Heels scored five runs in the first inning and capitalized on five UNC-Wilmington errors Tuesday night in a 14-5 win at Boshamer Stadium. Sea ya later! Heels put another in the win column!#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/6dj58HWgYR — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) April 15, 2026 The five-run first inning began after UNC drew three consecutive […]
UNC Baseball Drops First Game, But Still Wins Weekend Series at Clemson
Despite a loss in Friday’s opener and a late deficit in Saturday’s second game, the Diamond Heels came back to win two out of three games and earn the series victory during the weekend at Clemson. It’s the second straight weekend UNC has won a series after dropping the first game, and the first time […]
Chansky's Notebook: The Blueprint
If Michael Malone wants to learn how to utilize the transfer portal, he should look no further than the UNC baseball program.
UNC Baseball Wraps Up Homestand with Win vs. Charlotte
The Diamond Heels scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning on their way to an 8-4 win against Charlotte at Boshamer Stadium Tuesday night. Fun night with the fellas! Downed the 49ers 💥#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/zhtnNhGP7c — Carolina Baseball (@DiamondHeels) April 8, 2026 UNC’s rally started after two consecutive doubles from Owen […]
Saturday Comeback Helps UNC Baseball Take Weekend Series vs. No. 22 Boston College
The Diamond Heels rebounded from a series-opening loss Thursday night and a 7-3 deficit in the rubber match Saturday to take two of three games from No. 22 Boston College at Boshamer Stadium during the weekend. Thursday’s opener saw Carolina go in front with a run in the second inning against Eagles ace A.J. Colarusso, […]
›