Bio

Jose Jimenez is in his 13th season as an assistant coach for his alma mater. The 6-time national champion at Tampa has been part of titles as both a player and a coach.  After winning a pair of titles as a player, he helped the Spartans to a title in his first season on staff, winning the 2013 NCAA national championship team. In total, he has four national championships as a member of the coaching staff. He serves as the team's recruiting coordinator, first base, and hitting coach.

His most recent national championship came in 2024, as this title tied Tampa atop the NCAA leaderboard with nine all-time national championships. The 2024 Spartans finished with a 52-8 overall record, also capturing the SSC crown. His team clicked in all areas, hitting .317 as a team and posting a +389 run differential as his Spartans defeated their opponents by an average of 5.3 runs per game. He also coached E.J. Cumbo to the all-time NCAA Division II hits record, as Cumbo finished third all-time across all NCAA levels.

Guiding the Spartans to a national title in 2019, Jimenez helped lead a squad that was a perfect 9-0 in postseason play, including extra-inning victories in both the South Regional and Super Regional clinching games over Nova Southeastern and Delta State. The team used a combination of excellent hitting and shutdown pitching in the NCAA Championship Series in Cary, N.C., outscoring its opponents 26-5 in the four games. The magical run concluded with a 3-1 win over top-seed Colorado Mesa.

The national championship run in 2015 came from the rare underdog tag, as his Spartans entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA South Region. His team would go a perfect 8-0 in tournament action, with a 3-1 victory over Catawba College in the national championship. In 2015, the Spartans also became the fourth NCAA team to defeat a Major League Baseball opponent as UT defeated the Philadelphia Phillies by a 6-2 score in an exhibition game at Brighthouse Field.

His first national championship as a member of the coaching staff came in 2013, when he returned to his alma mater to coach the Spartans to a 47-12 record that concluded with a hoisting of the national championship trophy after an 8-2 win over Minnesota State University. The 2013 Spartans posted a .422 on-base percentage along with an .892 stolen base percentage, which set a school record.

Following his Spartan career, which dated from 2006-09, Jimenez was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the Major League Baseball Draft in the 47th round with the 1,431st selection. He would play four seasons in the Angels organizations, advancing to the Class AA Arkansas Travelers. He played a total of 286 games in the AAngels organization, hitting 19 home runs and driving in 112 runs.

Jimenez led all Spartans with a .390 batting average as the senior infielder/catcher finished his UT career with 52 home runs to rank second in school history behind Tino Martinez. Also a 33rd round selection of the Angels in the 2008 MLB Draft, Jimenez concluded his four-year UT career as one of the best players to come through UT. A 2006 All-American, Jimenez was also a first-team all-South Region selection that season. He was also a two-time all-Sunshine State Conference honoree. A three-year captain for the Spartans, Jimenez won national championships as a player in both 2006 and 2007, as he was a four-year starter for head coach Joe Urso.

Prior to attending UT, Jimenez graduated from Miami Pace High School. He batted .485 his senior season with seven home runs and 31 RBI on his way to all-county and all-state awards and was selected Dade County Hitter of the Year. He was also honored as a 2008 Florida Collegiate League all-star and MVP of the all-star game while also playing in the Cape Cod League.

Jimenez is a graduate of the University of Tampa. He is married to Whitney and has a son, Cooper, and daughter, Penelope.