The University of Hawaii baseball team has promoted assistant coach Jordon Twohig to hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.
Twohig, in his second year with the Rainbow Warriors, also moves into the hot-corner office. Twohig will succeed head coach Rich Hill as the ’Bows’ third-base coach.
“I’m super honored Rich would trust me with something like that,” Twohig said, “and trust the ability of decision-making.”
From the coach’s box near third, Hill would issue the stop or go signs to baserunners, relay strategy and call timeouts to encourage hitters and throw off a pitcher’s rhythm. But Hill said he probably is better “served in the dugout,” among his players, with a macro view and the timing to call changes and plays.
“I said if I felt like that,” Hill added, “I’m going back in.”
During a four-decade coaching career, only once did Hill cede third-base duties to an assistant coach. At the University of San Diego, Hill gave the job to then-hitting coach Jay Johnson.
“It was a big deal,” Twohig said of Johnson’s assignment. “Rich loves third base.”
Johnson went on to become LSU’s head coach, leading the Tigers to College World Series championships in 2023 and 2025.
“Rich likes being in the dugout to be able to have that (last) word with the hitters, stay a couple steps ahead of the pitching and defensive moves as the game goes on,” Twohig said. “He’s so good with that. We all pride ourselves in that. But he’s done it so well for so long. If he can get that last little word, or, hey, maybe he can get a pinch-runner in there.”
Hill said: “I like being in the dugout because it slows the game down for me. There’s a lot of advantage to being able to talk about hitters and pitchers and to look at that scoreboard and look at that lineup card and get the wheels spinning so I can be one step ahead of people.”
With Thursday’s announced hiring of Dallas Correa as associate head coach and pitching coordinator, UH is creating a pro-based model known as the pitching department. Correa will oversee the big picture, which includes analytics and usage, while Connor Harrison will work on each pitcher’s technique.
Twohig said UH also will embrace a pro model for the offense. From fall training, each hitter will be tracked on measurables such as exit velocity, launch angles, hand and bat speed, and vision.
“And so we can build off that,” Twohig said. “That’s how we create those (individual) player plans. … When young players have a clear plan, and they can see the growth and know what they’re working toward, man, you’ll see great results.”
UH is set to hire two coaches to assist Twohig with hitting and recruiting.
“I’m super humbled and super blessed to be able to be the hitting coach at Hawaii,” said Twohig, who succeeds Dave Nakama. “It’s an absolute dream to be with Rich Hill and help these hitters grow and reach their potential and reach their dreams. I’m going to help them do that.”
