Former Hawkeye Yacinich joins Iowa baseball coaching staff
Former Iowa standout Jake Yacinich will join Rick Heller’s staff next season.
Iowa infielder Jake Yacinich runs to first base in Duane Banks Field on Saturday, May 10, 2014. The Fighting Illini defeated the Hawkeyes in the second game, 5-1. (The Daily Iowan/Allison Orvis)
July 12, 2019
A familiar face will return to the dugout at Banks Field in 2020.
Former Iowa infielder Jake Yacinich has been named the volunteer assistant coach for next season, head coach Rick Heller announced July 12.
As a junior in 2014, Yacinich earned first-team All-Big Ten and first-team All-Mideast Region honors at shortstop. The Des Moines native ranked second in the Big Ten in batting average (.365) and stolen bases (25), and he placed in the top seven in the Big Ten in seven statistical categories. The Los Angeles Angels selected him in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
“We are all excited to have Jake back in Iowa City wearing a Hawkeye uniform again,” Heller said in a release. “I knew when his professional career was over that Jake would be a great coach if that’s what he chose to do. With his excellent communication skills and positive energy, Jake will do an outstanding job working with our players.”
Before he started coaching, Yacinich reached the Triple-A level in the Angels organization in 2017. He hit .254 in his five minor league seasons with 11 home runs, 94 RBIs, 10 triples, and 31 doubles.
Yacinich spent last season as a volunteer assistant coach at Xavier, where he worked with the Muskateer infielders. Xavier finished the season fourth in the nation with a .982 fielding percentage en route to 27 wins.
