University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Men's Baseball

Jesse had a passion for coaching and our players responded to him immediately. He will be a great addition to our staff and our current players are all excited about him returning to Chapel Hill. "It's a honor and blessing to be back in Chapel Hill working with the Carolina baseball program," Wierzbicki said. "To receive an opportunity to coach at my alma mater is a very proud moment. I'm very appreciative of Coach Fox and the rest of the coaching staff for bringing me on board. I'm looking forward to the beginning of the school year and meeting the team."

Gaines assists in all aspects of the program while focusing on the Tar Heel pitching staff. He also serves as camp director for the Carolina Baseball Camps. The Tar Heels have won 128 games in Gaines' three seasons on the staff, including a school-record 59 in 2013. That season, UNC made its 10th trip to the College World Series in program history, and Gaines has been a part of five of those clubs as either a player or a coach. In three seasons working with head coach Mike Fox, Gaines has mentored a number of standout pitchers. Kent Emanuel was the 2013 ACC Pitcher of the Year, earning first-team All-America honors before being selected in the third round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. In addition to Emanuel, Hobbs Johnson was drafted in the 14th round by Milwaukee and Chris Munnelly signed a free agent contract with Houston. Overall, UNC had a staff ERA of 2.81 in 2013 that ranked 16th nationally. Trent Thornton was a consensus freshman All-America performer in 2013 before earning all-conference honors after moving to the weekend rotation as a sophomore. Reilly Hovis earned first-team All-ACC accolades in 2014, as the sophomore led Carolina with a 9-1 record and a 2.25 ERA. Zac Gallen, who emerged as a weekend starter for the Tar Heels in 2015, was a second-team All-ACC pick a season ago. As a player at Carolina, Gaines posted a 5-0 record in 35 career appearances for the Tar Heels. Gaines battled back from his second Tommy John surgery as a junior to make 10 appearances as a fifth-year senior. Gaines assists in all aspects of the program, including serving as camp director for the Carolina Baseball Camps.

Arendas, who has been a key member of the UNC staff during its recent College World Series trips, handles a variety of administrative duties, including team travel, equipment purchasing, game day organization, special events coordination and community outreach. He is also heavily involved with Carolina's Old Leaguers and played a key role with the Boshamer Stadium renovation project. Arendas, who graduated from UNC in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics, was a four-year letterwinner from 1987-90. He helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1989 College World Series and the 1990 ACC title. Arendas was a second-team All-ACC choice in 1990 and ranks among the top 10 on Carolina's career lists for at-bats, runs, stolen bases and walks. Arendas married the former Nicole Holbrook in 1991, and the couple has three children - a son, D.C., and two daughters, Walker and Carley. The family resides in Greensboro.