ECU Adds Proven Winner Jake Gautreau as New Hitting Coach
East Carolina has made a major splash on the college baseball coaching trail, bringing in Jake Gautreau as the program’s next hitting coach. As first reported by Stephon Igoe of Hoist The Colours, the move is expected to be finalized in the coming days.
Gautreau arrives in Greenville after spending the past seven seasons at Mississippi State, where he helped guide the Bulldogs to a national championship in 2021 and back-to-back trips to the College World Series. Widely recognized as one of the elite hitting instructors and recruiters in the country, he was named D1Baseball’s National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2019.
The 2025 season, despite changes in leadership, was another example of Gautreau’s offensive expertise. After head coach Chris Lemonis was fired midseason, Gautreau played a key role in stabilizing the program under interim coach Justin Parker. Mississippi State finished the year with a team batting average of .304 and a .931 OPS, hammering 125 doubles and a school-record 103 home runs breaking a 27-year-old program mark.
Before his time in Starkville, Gautreau began his coaching career at his alma mater Tulane. A native of Texas, he attended McAllen Memorial High School before becoming an All-American at Tulane, where he was later named Conference USA Player of the Year. In 2001, the San Diego Padres selected him in the first round of the MLB Draft. Gautreau spent several years in the minor leagues before transitioning into coaching.
At East Carolina, Gautreau joins a veteran staff that includes associate head coach Jeff Palumbo a foundational part of the program since Cliff Godwin’s arrival in 2014 and pitching coach Austin Knight, who enters his fifth season leading the staff in 2026.
Gautreau’s proven track record of developing high-level talent and building explosive offenses makes him an immediate asset as the Pirates continue their push for Omaha. His recruiting reach and player development acumen are expected to further elevate a program that has become a national postseason regular under Godwin.