University of North Carolina at Pembroke Men's Baseball

Entering his 26th season at the helm of the Braves in 2025-26, Paul O'Neil has cemented UNCP as one of the perennial contenders in the always-tough Conference Carolinas. O'Neil and the Braves haven't missed a step since moving over to Conference Carolinas from the Peach Belt Conference prior to the 2022 season. O'Neil also serves the department as senior associate athletics director.   Despite capturing his 800th career victory in the midst of another 30+-win season with the Black and Gold in 2023, O’Neil’s accomplishments have been multi-faceted over the course of his 29-year collegiate head coaching career. He has provided tutelage to a bevy of outstanding talent on the field, including 20 All-Americans, 59 All-Region standouts and 81 All-Conference selections. O'Neil was honored as the PBC coach of the year at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, which marked the first skipper in program history to be honored. In addition, he has been involved in the molding of 30 Major League Baseball draftees, including three at his current stop. River Ryan, who played under O'Neil from 2017-2021, made his Major League debut on July 22, 2024 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.   Having attained the distinction of UNCP's all-time winningest coach in 2011, O’Neil’s teams have shattered nearly 90 percent of the existing program records in Pembroke, including 11 marks over the last 13 years. His tutelage with the Black and Gold has produced 17 All-Americans, 13 preseason All-Americans, 42 All-Region honorees and 59 All-Peach Belt Conference laurels. In addition to the on-field recognition, the UNCP baseball team has produced more than 160 PBC and Conference Carolinas Academic Honor Roll awards and has participated in several community service projects in the Robeson County area.   Over the last 10 years, the program has combined to win nearly 70 percent (323-171) of its games, while also making appearances in the NCAA Southeast Regional six times. The Braves have appeared in the national poll in 21 seasons of O'Neil's 25-year career in Pembroke as well. O'Neil added a Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship in 2024 to go along with a Peach Belt Conference Tournament title in 2011.   O’Neil began his coaching career at Montreat College where he served as the assistant head coach of the Cavaliers for two seasons (1993-94) before making the move to the Division I level as an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth (VCU). While in Richmond, he was charged with the development of the hitting and defense for the Rams and played a key role in VCU’s run to a 34-22 record in 1996 that also included a third-place finish in the Colonial Athletic Association final standings. His first experience with tutoring a Major League prospect came in Richmond where he would work closely with former Detroit Tigers infielder Brandon Inge who captured CAA Rookie of the Year laurels as a freshman in 1996.   O’Neil inherited a 14-23 team at Shenandoah in 1996 and quickly transformed the Hornets into a contender, parting ways with the Winchester, Va., school in 2000 after leading the club to a school record 31 wins, as well as the culmination of a 14-1/2 game turnaround. While at the helm of the program, O’Neil’s Shenandoah ball clubs shattered 35 school records, six of which still hold true today. His 31-11 club in 2000 produced seven Dixie Conference (now USA South) victories en route to second place finishes in both the regular season and conference tournament. The Hornets would, inevitably, finish among the nation’s top teams in the final ABCA Division III national poll, with O’Neil garnering coach of the year accolades from both the Dixie Conference and the state of Virginia’s sports information association.   In addition to his duties at Shenandoah, O’Neil also managed the Valley Baseball League’s Winchester Royals organization, twice leading the Royals to the league championship series. The team, which produced 25 major league baseball draftees in his three seasons as skipper, took home the league championship in 1997, while also collecting a runner-up finish in 1999.   A standout on the playing field for Appalachian State from, O’Neil earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from the distinguished institution in 1992 and later earned his master’s degree in the same field from Western Carolina in 1994. Administratively, he is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and was a member of Kiwanis International’s Winchester, Va., post from 1997-00.   Paul and his wife, Jackie, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in August and are the proud parents of three daughters, Katie, Rachel, and Kellie. The family currently resides in Lumberton. HEAD COACHING RECORD Season Team Overall Pct. Conference Pct.  Conf Finish Postseason Shenandoah Hornets (Dixie Conference; now USA South Conference) 1997 Shenandoah 14-23 .378 4-8 .333 1998 Shenandoah 22-22 .500 5-7 .417 1999 Shenandoah 17-22 .436 2-10 .167 2000 Shenandoah 31-11 .738 7-5 .583 Shenandoah 84-78 .519 18-30 .375 UNC Pembroke Braves (Peach Belt Conference) 2001 UNC Pembroke 27-26 .609 10-20 .333 9th 2002 UNC Pembroke 25-29-1 .464 9-21 .300 9th 2003 UNC Pembroke 28-25 .528 10-20 .333 10th 2004 UNC Pembroke 25-27 .481 12-18 .400 T-8th 2005 UNC Pembroke 31-23 .574 12-18 .400 9th 2006 UNC Pembroke 32-24 .571 12-15 .444 8th 2007 UNC Pembroke 30-25 .545 9-21 .300 T-9th 2008 UNC Pembroke 33-23 .589 14-13 .519 T-6th 2009 UNC Pembroke 37-17 .685 13-13 .500 6th 2010 UNC Pembroke 34-14 .708 13-11 .542 7th 2011 UNC Pembroke 44-12 .786 13-10 .565 5th PBC Tournament Champs; NCAA Regional 2012 UNC Pembroke 30-19 .612 14-15 .483 8th 2013 UNC Pembroke 38-16 .703 19-11 .633 T-4th 2014 UNC Pembroke 33-18 .647 17-13 .567 5th 2015 UNC Pembroke 38-13 .745 19-11 .633 3rd 2016 UNC Pembroke 27-22 .551 13-17 .433 T-9th 2017 UNC Pembroke 41-17 .707 15-9 .625 T-4th NCAA Regional 2018 UNC Pembroke 39-15 .722 17-12 .586 4th NCAA Regional 2019 UNC Pembroke 21-27 .438 11-19 .367 10th 2020 UNC Pembroke 18-5 .783 10-2 .833 2nd *COVID-shortened season 2021 UNC Pembroke 29-15 .659 25-8 .758 1st PBC Champs; NCAA Regional UNC Pembroke (Peach Belt Conference) 660-412-1 .616 287-297 .491 UNC Pembroke Braves (Conference Carolinas) 2022 UNC Pembroke 38-17 .691 23-7 .767 2nd NCAA Regional 2023 UNC Pembroke 39-17 .696 19-10 .655 3rd NCAA Regional 2024 UNC Pembroke 43-14 .754 19-11 .633 4th Conference Carolinas Tournament Champs; NCAA Regional 2025 UNC Pembroke 28-22 .560 16-14 .533 5th Shenandoah 84-78 .619 18-30 .375 UNC Pembroke (Peach Belt Conference) 660-412-1 .616 287-297 .491 UNC Pembroke (Conference Carolinas) 148-70 .679 77-42 .647 UNC Pembroke (Total) 808-482-1 .626 364-339 .518 Career Totals 892-560-1 .614 382-369 .509   O'NEIL'S CAREER MILESTONES Win # Career at UNCP 1 Shenandoah 8, Eastern Mennonite 7 (2/26/97) UNCP 9, St. Andrews 3 (1/31/01) 25 Shenandoah 20, Greensboro 8 (3/23/98) UNCP 6, USC Aiken 4 (4/20/01) 50 Shenandoah 10, Columbia Union 4 (4/10/99) UNCP 10, Mount Olive 4 (4/23/02) 75 Shenandoah 13, Southern Virginia 0 (4/11/00) UNCP 12, Mount Olive 11 (4/16/03) 100 UNCP 4, Virginia State 3 (3/13/01) UNCP 5, Augusta State 3 (4/17/04) 150 UNCP 23, Bryant 6 (3/12/03) UNCP 3, USC Upstate 1 (3/11/06) 200 UNCP 9, #4 North Florida 4 (2/13/05) UNCP 11, Anderson 4 (2/2/08) 250 UNCP 22, Chowan 3 (4/25/06) UNCP 6, Coker 2 (3/18/09) 300 UNCP 12, Wingate 11 (3/18/08) UNCP 18, Chowan 2 (4/25/10) 350 UNCP 16, #8 Georgia College 4 (4/19/09) UNCP 13, Chowan 3 (2/7/12) 400 UNCP 6, #7 North Georgia 3 (2/27/11) UNCP 7, North Georgia 4 (3/29/13) 450 UNCP 9, Flagler 3 (3/25/12) UNCP 11, St. Augustine's 5 (2/4/15) 500 UNCP 7, Anderson 1 (2/2/13) UNCP 9, Catawba 3 (3/16/16) 550 UNCP 12, Georgia Southwestern 2 (3/21/15) UNCP 5, Columbus State 0 (5/10/17) 600 UNCP 15, Concord 4 (2/10/17) UNCP 9, Young Harris 3 (3/3/19) 650 UNCP 15, Coker 5 (3/7/18) UNCP 17, Lander 4 (3/28/21) 700 UNCP 13, Queens 3 (2/4/20) UNCP 13, Saint Anselm 6 (2/4/23) 750 UNCP 8, Southern Wesleyan 4 (2/19/22) UNCP 13, Chowan 7 (3/2/24) 800 UNCP 7, Francis Marion 4 (3/11/23) UNCP 19, Chowan 8 (3/22/25) 850 UNCP 9, Wingate 6 (4/9/24) 900 UNCP 13, Mercy 9 (2/17/26) Updated: June 2025

Jefferson Assistant Coach Boasting a track record of success at each of his previous coaching stops in the Mountain East Conference, Jeff Jefferson begins his first season as an assistant coach with the UNCP baseball team in 2014-15. Jefferson trekked to Pembroke from Shepherdstown, W.Va., after spending the 2014 season as an assistant coach at Shepherd. No stranger to success, Jefferson served an integral part of a coaching staff that helped lead Shepherd to a 39-14 record last season that included a Mountain East regular season championship and a trip to the NCAA Atlantic Regional. The Rams led the Mountain East in 18 different statistical categories, including batting average (.330), home runs (28) and scoring (6.9 runs/game). The 2014 squad also featured a pair of all-Americans in catcher Spencer Wolfe and outfielder Michael Lott. Prior to his stint in Shepherdstown, Jefferson served two years (2012, 2013) as an assistant coach at nearby Concord as the hitting coach for the Mountain Lions. Concord posted a league-best .969 fielding percentage during Jeffersons first season in southeast West Virginia and led the country with a .357 batting average in 2013. The Mountain Lions combined for 62 wins during Jeffersons tenure. A standout for coach Jim Toman at Liberty from 2008-11, Jefferson logged time in 134 career games for the Flames and finished his collegiate playing career with 34 extra-base hits (13 HR) and 83 runs scored. Jefferson was a part of four 30-win seasons in Lynchburg, Va., including a 43-18 campaign as a junior in 2010. Liberty combined for a 146-89-1 record with Jefferson on the roster. Jefferson earned All-Valley League and Valley League All-Star recognition as a member of the Luray Wranglers from 2008-10, and took home the summer leagues Home Run Derby title in 2008 as well. He returned to the Valley League as the coach of the New Market Rebels in 2013. Jefferson earned his bachelors degree in sports management from Liberty in 2011, and was awarded a masters degree in health promotions from Concord in 2013. He currently resides in Lumberton.

Jaylen Guy enters his first year as assistant coach at UNC Pembroke for the 2025-26 season.  Guy comes to Pembroke after one season as an assistant coach at Florida Southern, where he served as the first base coach and worked directly with the outfielders and hitters, while also creating and organizing scouting reports.  Guy started 179 games for Liberty University from 2020-2023, before using his extra year of eligibility at the University of Florida in 2024 and playing in 38 games for a Gators team that made the College World Series.  Guy earned his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in psychology and sports management from Liberty in 2021, while receiving a graduate certificate in human health and performance from Florida in 2024.