Travis Jewett is in his fifth season as the Tulane University baseball head coach. In his previous four seasons, Jewett has tallied a 99-92 record, including a 34-36 conference mark.
Since beginning his tenure at Tulane in 2017, Jewett has coached two American Athletic Conference Players of the Year, eight all-conference players and 12 Major League Baseball draft picks
Jewett is the program’s 24th head coach but just the fifth head coach to lead the Green Wave since 1967, joining Milt Retif (1967-74), Joe Brockhoff (1975-93), Rick Jones (1994-2014) and David Pierce (2015-16).
Jewett enters the year after he guided the Green Wave to a 15-2 mark during the 2020 campaign – Tulane’s best start to a season since 1972. Tulane’s 15 wins at the end of the shortened season were tied for the most in the American Athletic Conference. The Green Wave also established a strong home field advantage, as it posted an 11-1 record Uptown.
Tulane finished the year ranked No. 20 in the D1Baseball poll and also earned national rankings in the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball polls.
Under Jewett’s direction, Tulane led the AAC in 11 statistical categories, including doubles, triples, runs scored and shutouts. In addition, Tulane had five players with a batting average of .300-or-better.
Following the year, Bradon Olthoff earned Second Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball. Fellow pitcher Luke Jannetta also was honored by Collegiate Baseball, as he was selected Freshman All-America
The 2020 postseason also saw Tulane continue its strong Major League Baseball tradition, as Hudson Haskin was selected in the Second Round of the MLB Draft.
In 2019, Tulane won 30 games for the first time since 2016 and the 35th time in program history. The Green Wave finished the year third in the AAC, their highest finish since 2016. Under Jewett’s watchful eye, the Tulane offense produced offensive numbers that rank in the top 10 all time in four different categories.
Following the year, Kody Hoese earned consensus All-America honors and was selected as the AAC Player of the Year, while Haskin would go on to earn Freshman All-America honors.
Hoese would later go on to become the highest draftee under Jewett, going 25th overall in the first round to the Los Angeles Dodgers, as six total players were picked tying the school record for the most picks in the modern era of the draft.
Jewett established himself as one of the top assistants in Division I prior to his arrival at Tulane
The native of Tacoma, Washington, has made stops at Vanderbilt (2013-16), Arizona State (2010-12), Washington State (2005-09), Washington (2002-04) and Gonzaga (1999-2001). Prior to moving to the DI level, Jewett served as the head coach at a pair of community colleges in Edmonds (Wash.) C.C. (1997-98) and Tacoma (Wash.) C.C. (1995-96). He also served as an assistant at Tacoma C.C. in 1994 before moving into the head coaching role the following year
During his coaching career, Jewett has coached numerous major leaguers, including Jason Bay, Austin Barnes, Jake Barrett, Tyler Beede, Walker Buehler, Kole Calhoun, Carson Fulmer, Bo Hart, Tony Kemp, Brent Lillibridge, Deven Marrero, Bryan Reynolds, Kevin Richardson, Dansby Swanson, Mike Yastrzemski, Sean White, Kyle Wright and 2008 and 2009 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
In 2016, Jewett was promoted to associate head coach under Tim Corbin at Vanderbilt. The team finished 43-19, and with Jewett’s hitting prowess, Commodore sluggers led the Southeastern Conference in triples while ranking eighth nationally in the category. Vanderbilt also ranked 33rd nationally in runs scored. Alonzo Jones and Ethan Paul earned Freshman All-America honors, while Jeren Kendall and Bryan Reynolds were tabbed as Third Team All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). In each of Jewett’s four seasons in Nashville, the Commodores produced at least two All-Americans.
The Vanderbilt offense blossomed in 2015 into a powerful lineup that produced 69 home runs, the most since 1998, while hitting .290 as a team and leading the Southeastern Conference in doubles and triples. Jeren Kendall, Bryan Reynolds and Kyle Wright earned All-SEC Second team accolades while Connor Kaiser and Ethan Paul picked up Freshman All-SEC honors.
Under Jewett’s guidance, Dansby Swanson was selected as a two-time All-American, earning first team honors and National Player of the Year accolades en route to being the top overall pick in the MLB Draft. Rhett Wiseman picked up All-American honors after hitting 15 home runs to lead the team along with Swanson and Zander Wiel. Jewett also developed a pair of freshmen into Freshman All-Americans in Kendall and Will Toffey.
Jewett’s second Vandy team won the school’s first-ever national championship in 2014. The Dores’ offense caught fire in the NCAA Tournament hitting .322 with 48 runs during the NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. In Omaha, the Commodores stole a College World Series-record 17 bases on their way to the National Championship
Jewett added two more All-Americans to his list in Vince Conde and Swanson in 2014 with both infielders earning first team All-SEC honors as well. Swanson led the nation and matched the school record with 27 doubles as part of the Dores’ 145 doubles as a team, the most since the 2010 team set the school record with 160. In his rookie campaign, Reynolds led the Commodores in hitting with a .338 average and 24 doubles to garner Freshman All-American honors.
The Commodores’ offense clicked under Jewett’s guidance in 2013 during his first year in Nashville with the Dores improving in virtually every offensive category, hitting .313 as a team – 45 points higher than 2012 – to lead all Southeastern Conference teams. Vanderbilt also led the SEC in slugging percentage (.439), on-base percentage (.407), runs scored (459), RBI (418), triples (17), walks (295) and stolen bases (139). Along with the team successes, multiple individuals produced career years under Jewett for the first time. Tony Kemp was named SEC Player of the Year after hitting a career-best .391 and posting an on-base percentage of .471 in his final year in Black & Gold. Connor Harrell bounced back from a tough junior season to be the Commodores’ main source of power with a team-high 12 home runs. Harrell hit a career-best .312 while driving in 67 runs, sixth-most in school history.
Jewett’s leadership with the team’s outfielders molded the Commodores’ outfield into one of the best in the nation in 2013 with a trio of seniors in Jack Lupo, Connor Harrell and Mike Yastrzemski. Harrell and Yastrzemski started all 66 games in center and right field, respectively
As the recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt, Jewett regularly produced some of the nation’s top classes. Twenty-five of Jewett’s pupils were drafted, including four first round picks. Of those 25 drafted, 12 were hitters
Prior to Vanderbilt, Jewett spent the previous three years at Arizona State, where he oversaw the Sun Devils’ hitters and recruiting while serving as Associate Head Coach.
Jewett’s three seasons at Arizona State saw the Sun Devils go 131-48 (.732), including a trip to the College World Series in 2010 that ended with a loss to eventual champion South Carolina. The Sun Devils offense produced under Jewett, hitting over .300 as a team during his tenure and averaging nearly seven runs per game winning the Pac-10 league title in 2010 and hosting NCAA Regionals in each of his first two years.
The 2012 season saw Arizona State finish with a 36-20 mark, including an 18-12 record in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils hit 42 home runs and scored 339 runs with a .443 slugging percentage. The team finished the season winning 12 of its final 16 games. Joey DeMichele’s .336 average paced the team and Abe Ruiz led the way with 13 home runs. DeMichele and Deven Marrero were both selected as All-Pac-12 performers.
In 2011, the Sun Devils finished 43-18 with a 17-10 mark in Pac-10 play to finish second in the league. The squad hit .301 as a team led by DeMichele’s .368 average and nine home runs. Following the season five Sun Devils earned All-Pac 10 honors with Marrero being named the Defensive Player of the Year and DeMichele earning All-American status. As a team the Sun Devils led the Pac-10 in home runs (37), slugging percentage (.444) and stolen bases (99). Arizona State hosted and swept through the NCAA Regional before falling at Texas in the Super Regional round in three games.
Arizona State was a powerhouse in 2010 winning the Pac-10 title with a 20-7 mark and earning the top national seed in the NCAA Tournament. The team swept its way through Regionals and Super Regionals and into the school’s 22nd College World Series. Offensively, Jewett’s hitters posted a .337 team batting average while belting 68 home runs and scoring 520 runs. The club also swiped the third-most bases in school history with 136 steals.
His three-year stint at Arizona State saw 31 players drafted, including Marrero who was a first round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2012. Of the 31 Sun Devils selected during Jewett’s tenure, 19 were position players.
From 2005-09, Jewett played an integral role in rejuvenating the Washington State program. He helped lead the Cougars from a 1-23 Pac-10 record in his first year to a 19-8 mark to finish second in the league in his final season in Pullman. The Cougars made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in nearly 20 years in 2009, playing in the Norman, Oklahoma NCAA Regional. Jewett coached two Cougars to All-American honors and three earned All-Pac 10 recognition. One of those players to earn All-American and All-Pac 10 honors was Jay Miller, who broke the WSU school record for hits in a career with 307.
At Washington State, 15 Cougars were selected in the major league baseball draft during Jewett’s five seasons.
Prior to his five seasons in Pullman, Jewett spent 2002-04 in Seattle at Washington, where the Huskies went 114-65-2 in Jewett’s three seasons. He instructed the infielders and coached third base for the Huskies while helping lead the hitters. Nine players earned All-Pac 10 honors, including Tim Lincecum, with four players earning Freshman All-American accolades (Aaron Hathaway, Kyle Larsen, Brent Lillibridge and Lincecum).
The Huskies made the NCAA Tournament in each of Jewett’s three seasons (2002-04), reaching the Regional finals all three years. During his tenure with Washington, 17 Huskies were drafted by major league baseball.
Jewett broke into the Division I level at Gonzaga, where he in charge of the infield and coaching third base while assisting with the offense from 1999-2001. Eight players were named First Team All-West Coast Conference during Jewett’s time in Spokane with Barry Matthews earning All-American honors. Gonzaga won the WCC regular season title in Jewett’s final season after finishing second the previous two seasons.
With the Zags, Jewett saw four players be drafted in his three seasons. Two of those players made the major leagues in Jason Bay and Bo Hart.
Jewett began his collegiate coaching career at Tacoma Community College, first as an assistant in 1994 followed by two years as the head coach. He was the head coach at Edmonds (Wash.) Community College for two seasons, earning NWAACC Coach of the Year and National Junior College Coach of the Year honors in 1998.
Jewett is a 1993 graduate of Washington State. He played two seasons at Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington, before finishing his degree at WSU, where he did not play baseball.
He and his wife, Tracy, have two sons, Tanner and Tommy.
THE TRAVIS JEWETT FILE
Alma Mater: Washington State University, 1993
Playing Career: Lower Columbia College (1989-91)
Wife: Tracy
Sons: Tanner and Tommy
Coaching Career: Tulane University – Head Coach (2017-Present); Vanderbilt University – Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator (2013-16); Arizona State University – Assistant Coach (2010-12); Washington State – Assistant Coach (2005-09); Washington – Assistant Coach (2002-04); Gonzaga University – Assistant Coach (1999-01); Edmonds (Wash.) Community College – Head Coach (1997-98); Tacoma (Wash.) Community College – Head Coach (1995-96); Tacoma Community College – Assistant Coach (1994)
Coached Under: Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt), Tim Esmay (Arizona State), Donnie Marbut (Washington State), Ken Knutson (Washington), Steve Hertz (Gonzaga)
Prominent Pupils: Hudson Haskin (Tulane), Kody Hoese (Tulane), Brendan Cellucci (Tulane), Chase Solesky (Tulane), Kaleb Roper (Tulane), Trevor Jensen (Tulane), Dansby Swanson (Vanderbilt), Tony Kemp (Vanderbilt), Carson Fulmer (Vanderbilt), Kyle Wright (Vanderbilt), Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt), Will Toffey (Vanderbilt), Jason Delay (Vanderbilt), Jordan Sheffield (Vanderbilt), Ben Bowden (Vanderbilt), Bryan Reynolds (Vanderbilt), Walker Buehler (Vanderbilt), Phil Pfeifer (Vanderbilt), Rhett Wiseman (Vanderbilt), Tyler Ferguson (Vanderbilt), Tyler Beede (Vanderbilt), Adam Ravenelle (Vanderbilt), Vicente Conde (Vanderbilt), Kevin Ziomek (Vanderbilt), Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt), Connor Harrell (Vanderbilt), Kole Calhoun (Arizona State), Josh Spence (Arizona State), Austin Barnes (Arizona State), Deven Marrero (Arizona State), Brady Rodgers (Arizona State), Jake Barrett (Arizona State), Joey DeMichele (Arizona State), Andrew Aplin (Arizona State), Riccio Torrez (Arizona State), John Ruettiger (Arizona State), Seth Blair (Arizona State), Jordan Swagerty (Arizona State), Merrill Kelly (Arizona State), Matt Way (Washington State), Paul Gran (Washington State), Travis Webb (Washington State), Michael Wagner (Washington State), Tim Lincecum (Washington), Brent Lillibridge (Washington), Aaron Hathaway (Washington), Sean White (Washington), Tyler Davidson (Washington), Jason Bay (Gonzaga), Bo Hart (Gonzaga), Kevin Richardson (Gonzaga), Nate Gold (Gonzaga).
Highlights: 2014 NCAA National Champion with Vanderbilt...2015 National Runner-Up at Vanderbilt...three College World Series appearances (Arizona State and Vanderbilt)...five NCAA Super Regionals (Arizona State and Vanderbilt)...10 NCAA Regionals (Washington, Washington State, Arizona State, Vanderbilt)
Players in BOLD made the major leagues.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT TRAVIS JEWETT
“Travis is an outstanding teacher. He loves the game and has such tremendous passion for it. He is a complete baseball coach. He can teach any element or side to the game and improve the skill sets of the player.”
Tim Corbin
Vanderbilt Head Coach
“I can’t thank coach Jewett enough for helping me become a better player, and giving me the opportunity i had at tulane. He and the staff put in countless hours to make us better and achieve our dreams of playing on the next level.”
Kody Hoese
2019 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and 25th MLB Overall Draft Pick
“Big Juice” aka Travis Jewett has been one of my favorite coaches throughout my baseball career. His infectious energy and upbeat attitude not only made me a better player, but also a better person. What makes Big Juice so special is the unique ability he possesses to relate to every single player on a personal level. He knows exactly what each player needs whether it’s mental toughness, physical adjustments or simply words of encouragement to get the best performance possible out of them. The biggest lesson Coach Jewett taught me was to have a short-term memory when it comes to the game. Leave the past in the past and stay present!”
Tony Kemp
Oakland Athletics outfielder and consensus 2013 All-American
“Coach Jewett was instrumental in developing my mindset in college as I prepared for pro ball. He was one of the first to recognize how much I enjoyed the grind of the game and it was his advice and critiquing of me that made me believe I had a chance. He was a coach that truly was in your corner and always wanted you to succeed and that’s a trait that stays with him and is a building block for a positive environment that helps a young player grow.”
Kole Calhoun
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder and consensus 2013 All-American
“I learned so much from Coach Jewett at my time at Vandy. I truly believe he took me from where I was to where I am now. I leaned on him heavily as a college player, and in my pro career too. He challenged me every day to reach my potential, and through our relationship we built a lot of trust and confidence together. I owe him a lot of my success!”
Dansby Swanson
Atlanta Braves infielder, consensus 2015 All-American and No. 1 MLB Overall Draft Pick in 2015
“Travis was exactly what i needed in my career when I met him. He’s an up beat, high energy coach who brings it every day. As I call him big tuna, he makes you feel at home from day one and advanced my swing which I can’t put into words. Every time I’m lucky enough to see him these days it’s like we never spent time apart. Honestly I miss playing for him!”
Mike Yastrzemski
San Franisco Giants outfielder and 2013 All-American
