Jim Chester is in his third year as the head coach of the Gardner-Webb baseball team after taking over the program in June 2019.
Chester led Gardner-Webb to 29 wins in 2021, his first full season at the helm. That included a 27-13 mark and a tie for second place in the Big South Conference standings, Gardner-Webb’s highest finish ever since joining the league prior to the 2009 season. Chester led GWU to an 8-8 mark during the 2020 campaign that was cut short by COVID-19.
Prior to his arrival to Gardner-Webb, Chester spend two season as the head coach at Barton College. Engineering the biggest turnaround in all of NCAA Division II in 2019, Chester led the Barton Bulldogs to a 31-20 overall record, earning a second-place finish in the Conference Carolinas standings and also taking home 2019 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year honors.