29 Jeff Hourigan Position: Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Experience: First Season

Jeff Hourigan begins his first season on coach Jim Penders' staff in 2012. Hourigan, who played at UConn for two season, returns to Storrs after spending the last five years as an assistant coach and pitching coach at the University of New Haven. While working for head coach Raphael Cerrato, Hourigan helped guide the Chargers to an East Coast Conference regular season championship (2008), an NCAA Regional berth (2010), and led the pitching staff to an ERA of 2.90 which was the second best mark in the country during the 2010 season.

Prior to his coaching career at New Haven, Hourigan was a student assistant coach for UConn during the 2006 season, working closely with the first basemen and pitchers. He split his collegiate playing career between Clemson and Connecticut, playing for the Tigers during the 2002 and 2003 seasons and was part of the Husky lineup during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In 2002, he competed in the College World Series as a part of a Clemson team that finished third nationally. As a senior, Hourigan was named team captain and went on to earn second team All-BIG EAST and team MVP honors. At Clemson, he earned honorable mention Freshman All-American.

"I am thrilled to have Jeff back in Storrs," Penders said. "He was an outstanding player, captain, and student assistant for us, and also did a fantastic job assisting Coach Cerrato at New Haven. Above all, Jeff is a leader with a legendarily strong will to do things the right way all the time. He is a proud UConn alum who made a real name for himself during his playing days here and I'm so excited to continue building our program with him at my side."

Between Clemson and Connecticut, Hourigan played in 185 games and batted .303 for his career. He scored 104 runs, drove in 129 and belted 25 homeruns. At UConn alone, he hit .333 with 17 home runs in 90 games. On the mound, he recorded a 10-8 record in 21 starts for the Huskies and struck out 103 batters in 136.1 innings pitched.

Entering college, Hourigan was named the 2001 Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year, while playing at Masuk High School in Monroe. He also helped lead Naugatuck Post 17 to the 2001 American Legion State Championship.

Hourigan and his wife Connie live in Prospect and are expecting their first child in June 2012.