Miami Hurricanes promote J.D. Arteaga to baseball head coaching job

After a wide-scale search for a new baseball coach, the Miami Hurricanes ultimately opted for the internal candidate.

J.D. Arteaga, a UM assistant coach for 21 years and a former star pitcher for the Hurricanes, will be the team’s new head coach, multiple sources told the Miami Herald on Monday morning and UM subsequently confirmed. He will replace Gino DiMare, who stepped down after this past season.

.“I believe J.D. is the right leader at the right time for this storied program,” UM athletic director Dan Radakovich said after making his first major coaching hire since joining Miami in December 2021. “He appreciates what makes Miami one of the crown jewels of college baseball, while also recognizing what is required to keep adding to that legacy.”

Arteaga called his hiring “truly a dream come true. Growing up in Miami, playing for the Hurricanes and coaching in the orange and green the last 21 seasons has meant the world to me. I’m beyond privileged to lead one of the most historic programs in college baseball and add to our storied tradition. I want to thank [UM executives] Joe Echevarria, Rudy Fernandez, Dan Radakovich and the administration for this opportunity of a lifetime.”

Arteaga, 48, will be charged with returning the Canes program to an elite level. UM made 23 College World Series appearances — and won four national championships — between 1973 and 2008. Ron Fraser, who died in 2013, guided UM to 12 of those CWS appearances and two national titles.

“The game has changed,” Arteaga said. “Whether you’re talking analytics or sports science or the NIL world. It’s changed, and I think we are behind in those things and we’ve got to make a change and catch up to the rest of the country. You watch the two teams that are left playing right now and theres no doubt that they’re above and beyond and ahead of everybody as far as the NIL world is concerned... Like it or not, that’s where we’re at and we’ve got to change that. My goal, my vision, [and] what I’m gonna get done is gonna catch up to those guys from analytics, to sports science, to NIL, and make Miami what it’s supposed to be. The best college baseball program in the country.”

But the Hurricanes advanced to the College World Series only twice in the past 15 years: in 2015 and 2016, both under former coach Jim Morris, and failed to advance to Omaha, Nebraska, in five years under DiMare, who resigned after UM was ousted by Texas in a first-round regional in Coral Gables.

The Hurricanes, the No. 9 seed of 64 teams in the NCAA tournament, were ranked eighth in the final regular-season rankings this past season and were 168-86 (.661) over DiMare’s tenure. But the Canes — who won national championships in 1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001 — have neither reached the College World Series nor advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament since 2016.

Arteaga is “a great hire,” said former Canes shortstop Javy Rodriguez, who played at UM from 1999 through 2002 and was a two-time national champion and a member of the Hurricanes’ Sports Hall of Fame. “He’s a smart baseball man and will surround himself with other great minds.”

Radakovich opted for Arteaga over several external candidates who were considered, a group reportedly including ex-MLB shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who was spotted on UM’s campus last week; Wake Forest’s Tom Walter, South Carolina’s Mark Kingston, Marlins assistant coach (and former UM player) Jon Jay, Duke’s Chris Pollard and former LSU coach Paul Mainieri (who won the national title in 2009).

Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball reported on Sunday that Pollard opted to stay at Duke instead of taking the Miami job. Over the weekend, Manieri withdrew his name from consideration. Tulowitzki, a Texas assistant for the past three seasons, was on UM’s campus for an interview last week, according to a source.

Arteaga has been UM’s pitching coach since 2003 and also held the title of associate head coach.

Kyle Walters — who has had two sons pitch for Arteaga — said Monday: “I couldn’t be happier for him and the program. He’s an excellent pitching coach. He has proven that over decades and he is a vital part of how both my sons have developed as pitchers. Awesome guy. He has been excellent with players and their families. He will be a great head coach.”

One of Walters’ sons, Andrew, is a departing Hurricanes player who is expected to be selected in next month’s MLB Draft. Another son, Rian, pitches for UM and is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Arteaga stayed on as pitching coach after DiMare took over for the retiring Jim Morris in 2019.

Morris, who coached at UM for 25 years, won Miami’s last two national titles but failed to make the postseason his final two seasons in 2017 and ‘18.

DiMare got Miami back to the regionals, but the Canes were eliminated in the first round every year — the past two at UM’s Mark Light Field.

DiMare characterized the decision to leave UM as his own.

“After evaluating this past season and talking extensively with my family, I have decided it is in my best interests and the best interests of the program to step away as head coach,” DiMare said in a UM news release.

Arteaga has helped develop more than 20 pitchers who became big-league draft picks. At least one Hurricane pitcher has been selected in the MLB Draft each year since 2004.

“I am,” Arteaga said when asked if he’s looking for a pitching coach to take his place. “That’s one of the first things we’ve got to do is get a staff together and Dan and myself are going to work together to put the best group around me to help us win and get back. I’ve been the pitching coach for a long time and I understand it is a full time job... so, it will be someone that I trust.”

Arteaga played for the Hurricanes from 1994 through 1997, helping UM reach the College World Series four straight seasons.

He left Miami as the program’s all-time wins leader with 43 and the all-time starts leader with 72. Arteaga ranks second at UM in innings pitched in a career with 458.1. He is also fifth on the all-time strikeouts list with 343.

Miami retired Arteaga’s No. 33 on Feb. 5, 2003, prior to the season opener against FIU.

A 26th round draft choice by the New York Mets, Arteaga spent six seasons in the Mets, Astros and Rangers organizations, never making the big leages.

He went 46-34 with a 3.40 ERA in six minor league seasons from 1997 through 2002, spending his final two seasons in Triple A.

Arteaga came to the Hurricanes out of Westminster Christian in Miami. He won a career-best 12 games as a high-school junior in 1996 (12-1) and finished 11-4 as a senior in 1997.

Arteaga becomes the 10th coach in UM baseball history. The others: Jack Harding (1940 and 1959), Eddie Dunn (1946-1954), Perry Moss (1955), Jimmie Foxx (1956 and 1957), Whitey Campbell (1958 and 1960-62), Ron Fraser (1963 to 1992), Brad Kelley (1993), Morris (1994-2018) and DiMare (2019-23).

After six minor-league seasons, Arteaga earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Miami.

Arteaga is married to the former Ysha Schettini and the couple has a daughter, Ariana.

The Arteagas’ son, Ari, died in a 2018 car accident at the age of 16.

The Ari Arteaga Foundation was founded shortly afterward to honor and memorialize Ari. According to UM’s website, the foundation’s mission “is to spread Ari’s spirit by helping children and families overcome obstacles they may face due to unforeseen hardships. The goal is to shine Ari’s light on their path of need.”

Miami Herald sportswriter Meadow Barrow contributed to this report.