FAYETTEVILLE -- Dave Jorn has made his last leisurely walk to the mound for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Jorn, a 20-year veteran in two stints with the Arkansas baseball program, is retiring from his role as pitching coach, the university announced on Monday.
Jorn's departure comes three seasons after the Razorbacks led the nation with a 1.89 earned run average, the lowest in college baseball since 1976, and two days after Arkansas concluded its 26-29 season with a 5.02 ERA, the worst in the SEC.
Jorn, 61, known for his calm demeanor and his work with 45 Arkansas pitchers who ended up getting drafted, was part of 18 NCAA Tournament teams and six College World Series teams during his time at Arkansas. The Razorbacks also posted 13 40-victory seasons and produced some of the school's best pitching staffs during his tenure.
"It's been 20 of the best years of my life," Jorn said in a university release. "I love Arkansas. I love the program and I love everything about it."
Jorn thanked Norm DeBriyn and Dave Van Horn, the two Arkansas head coaches for whom he has worked.
"I've had a lot of success and it's been a pleasure, but this is something that's been on my mind for the last couple of years," Jorn said in the release. "I think it's time to make a change."
Van Horn credited Jorn with helping turn Arkansas into a top-25 program and overseeing a series of strong pitching staffs.
"There's not a better pitching coach than Dave Jorn and he's an even better person," Van Horn said in a statement. "He's been a great friend to me and the rest of the coaching staff and always will be a man of great character."
Jorn and Van Horn were not available for interview requests made by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Monday. Both men will hold news conferences on Wednesday at Baum Stadium.
Arm injuries sidelined Jorn's professional pitching career in the early 1980s and DeBriyn, who spent 33 years as Arkansas' coach, brought him aboard as pitching coach in 1983.
"After about two years I realized what we had," DeBriyn said. "He was very intuitive and he knew the game. The game slows down for him. He did a tremendous job with our program.
"To give you an idea of his importance, he joined us in '83 and we went [to the College World Series] in Omaha in '85 and '87 and right after he left in '89. We never went back to Omaha until he got back here under Dave Van Horn."
Jorn has worked with 45 Arkansas pitchers who have been drafted during his tenures (1983-1988, 2003-2016), including current major leaguers Dallas Keuchel, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner of the Houston Astros, Drew Smyly of the Tampa Bay Rays and Mike Bolsinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Three of Arkansas' 22 All-Americans have pitched for Jorn: Nick Schmidt (2006-2007), Jess Todd (2007) and Ryne Stanek (2013). Schmidt and Stanek were both first-round selections in the Major League Baseball draft.
Jorn's pitching staffs under Van Horn, since 2013, compiled ERAs of 4.00 or better, including five in the last seven seasons. Arkansas pitching staffs from 2011-2014 accounted for four of program's 10 lowest ERAs, in program history, including the stellar 1.89 mark in 2013 and a 2.63 ERA in 2014 that ranks as the Razorbacks' second best for the Razorbacks.
Jorn left the Razorbacks in 1989 to work in player development for the New York Yankees, and also spent time with the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks before going back to the Yankees as a scout in 2001.
Jorn said he plans to remain in Fayetteville while also looking for other opportunities, possibly back in the professional ranks.
"I don't know anything definitive at this point, but I am not done working," Jorn said in the UA release. "I still want to keep working and still want to stay in baseball."
Sports on 05/24/2016