J.D. Arteaga hired as Miami Hurricanes new baseball coach: "This is truly a dream come true"

A University of Miami Hall of Famer was announced Monday as the Miami Hurricanes’ next head baseball coach.

J.D. Arteaga, who was a star pitcher for Miami from 1994-97 and longtime pitching coach at the program, was announced as the program’s choice to take over for Gino DiMare. DiMare stepped down after taking over for Jim Morris in 2019. In his five years at the helm the Canes were unable to reach Super Regionals or the College World Series.

Now Arteaga will be charged with returning UM to major national relevance. The team hosted regionals this past season but was unable to advance after finishing second in the Coastal for the fourth time in the last five years (with the COVID year not having standings).

“We are excited to introduce J.D. as the new head baseball coach for the Miami Hurricanes,” Miami Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said in a UM release. “I believe J.D. is the right leader at the right time for this storied program. He appreciates what makes Miami one of the crown jewels of college baseball, while also recognizing what is required to keep adding to that legacy.”

Arteaga brings a long resume to Miami.

During his playing days at UM he helped the team reach the College World Series for four straight seasons. He left Miami as the program’s all-time wins leader with 43 and the all-time starts leader with 72. Arteaga ranks second for innings pitched in a career with 458.1. He is also fifth on the all-time strikeouts chart with 343 career Ks. Miami retired Arteaga’s No. 33 on Feb. 5, 2003, prior to the season opener with Florida International.

As a member of the Miami baseball coaching staff, his main responsibilities includef the management and development of the pitching staff and assisting in recruiting and scheduling.

Arteaga tutored two of Miami’s three pitchers drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft since 1987, including Chris Perez in 2006 and Cesar Carrillo in 2005.

“This is truly a dream come true,” Arteaga said in the release. “Growing up in Miami, playing for the Hurricanes and coaching in the orange and green the last 21 seasons has meant the world to me. I’m beyond privileged to lead one of the most historic programs in college baseball and add to our storied tradition. I want to thank Joe Echevarria, Rudy Fernandez, Dan Radakovich and the administration for this opportunity of a lifetime.”

It was Morris that first hired Arteaga as pitching coach on March 4, 2003, nine games deep into the season. He has coached on the staff in some capacity for the last 21 years.

As a player?

Arteaga was a 26th round draft choice by the New York Mets, he spent five seasons in the Mets’ and Houston Astros’ organizations. He had signed on with the Texas Rangers’ organization in the spring of 2003, prior to accepting his post with the Hurricanes.

He spent his last professional season with the Astros’ Triple-A franchise New Orleans Zephyrs, compiling a 9-10 record with a 4.29 ERA in 15 starts and 42 appearances.

The left-hander came to the Hurricanes out of Westminster Christian in Miami. He won a career best 12 (12-1) games as a junior in 1996 and came back to go 11-4 as a senior. Arteaga threw three complete games at UM and struck out career-high 11 batters on two different occasions (FSU, 4/16/95 and George Washington, 2/16/96). He posted an 11-3 record as a sophomore in 1995 and a 9-1 mark as a freshman.

Arteaga earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Miami in 2002.