WILMINGTON, North Carolina - Jason Howell has resigned from his position as pitching coach at UNCW after five seasons to join Georgia Tech in the same capacity.

"I've enjoyed my time here in Wilmington and it will always hold a special place not only in my heart, but my family's as well," said Howell. "UNCW is a strong program, built on a solid foundation, and I expect to see it continue to flourish. I'm thankful for the unwavering support from the UNCW staff, coaches and especially the players, who made our time here so special."

During his five seasons with the Seahawks, UNCW reached the NCAA tournament twice, 2008 and 2012, and played in the CAA Championship on two other occasions (2009, 2010). In 2012, the Seahawks were second as a staff in the league with a 3.61 earned run average, which also ranked 67th nationally. Seahawk hurlers shaved 1.76 runs off their combined ERA from 2011.

In 2012, Tyler McSwain and Mat Batts were named All-CAA, earning spots on the first and third teams, respectively. McSwain won a career-high nine games and became UNCW's all-time leader in conference wins with 17 career victories.

Howell was instrumental in the development of former Seahawks Bradley Holt, Stephen Harrold, Seth Frankoff, Cameron Roth and Tyler DeLoach. All were selected in the MLB draft with Holt being a supplemental first-round selection of the New York Mets in 2008.

"Jason did a tremendous job with the pitching staff during his stay in Wilmington," said UNCW Head Coach Mark Scalf. "He developed one of the top staffs in the nation, especially the bullpen, which was a strength of this past year's team. We're thankful to Jason and his family for all the time and effort they gave in the successes of this program."