Baseball
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 559-278-2178
 THE BATESOLE FILE
Twitter: @Batesole44
Hometown: Anaheim, Calif.
Spouse: Susie
Children: Kassy, Kally, Kody, Korby
EDUCATION
California State University, Fullerton (1990)
Bachelor's in Kinesiology
COACHING HISTORY
Fresno State
2003-Present: Head Coach
Cal State Northridge
1996-2002: Head Coach (Overall Record: 256-158-1)
1994-95:Â Assistant Coach
Cypress College
1993: Assistant Coach
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PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Oral Roberts (1983-85)
1984 USA Baseball Team
Los Angeles Dodgers Organization (1985-88)
- 14th round selection in 1985 MLB Draft
Under Batesole, the Bulldogs were put on stage in front of the nation and captured America's hearts as he took the Bulldogs from underdogs to wonderdogs in 2008 to claim the school's first Division I national championship for any men's sport. His Bulldogs won seven-straight conference titles from 2006-12 and made six NCAA appearances in that time, advancing to the regional title game three times before winning the National Championship.
Fresno State went 27-28 in 2022 tying for fourth in the Mountain West with a 15-15 mark. Three 'Dogs earned All-Mountain West honors with Zach Morgan and Ixan Henderson earning first team All-MW honors and Ivan Luna selected to the second team. Morgan was selected as one of three finalists for the Buster Posey National Catcher of the Year Award along with being a ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove finalist.
Morgan was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants while infielder Andrew Kachel was taken in the 16th round.
The Diamond 'Dogs completed a 20-25 season in 2021 with the Bulldogs going 16-18 in Mountain West contests to finish fifth in the conference.
A pair of 'Dogs earned All-Mountain West honors in Kachel who was tabbed first team accolades and junior outfielder EJ Andrews, Jr. picked up second team honors.
The Bulldogs led the nation in double plays per game (1.16) and ranked fourth in the country in double plays (52). The 'Dogs led the MW with 191 walks and 24 sacrifice bunts and ranked second in the conference, 65th nationally, slugging 58 home runs. Their 1.29 home runs per game ranked third in the MW and 35th in the country.
Ryan Higgins was selected in the ninth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles and Andrews, Jr. was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round. Pitcher Jamison Hill signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With the COVID-19 pandemic cutting the 2020 season to only 16 games, the Bulldogs went 9-7 with a season-opening series win over UC Irvine, a four-game sweep over Columbia and midweek wins over Cal Poly, Seton Hall and Pacific. The Diamond 'Dogs powered their way to 23 home runs in 16 contests to rank seventh in the nation in long balls and home runs per game (1.44). The 'Dogs led the Mountain West and ranked 22nd in the country with a .478 slugging percentage.
Kachel, Ryan Higgins and Zach Presno earned All-MW honors as Presno led the MW in home runs (8), slugging percentage (.804) and was named the MW Player of the Week twice in four weeks.
Fresno State tallied its 19th 40-win season in 2019 compiling a 40-16-1 overall record while winning both the Mountain West regular season and Mountain West Tournament championships.
The 'Dogs made their return to the NCAA Tournament after a seven-year absence making the Stanford Regional finals where they fell to host Stanford, 9-7 in the winner-take-all game. Eight Bulldogs earned All-Mountain West honors, including six first-team selections, while Batesole earned MW Coach of the Year honors along with junior pitcher Ryan Jensen being named the MW Pitcher of the Year and redshirt senior McCarty Tatum being named the Tony Gwynn Co-Player of the Year. Fresno State has now had 35 All-MW selections in its first seven years in the MW.
In addition, eight 'Dogs went on to be drafted in the 2019 MLB Draft, including six in the top 15 rounds, as the Diamond ‘Dogs extended their streak of 16 straight seasons with multiple Bulldogs being selected in the MLB Draft.
Three Bulldogs earned All-Mountain West honors in 2018 as junior right-handed pitcher Edgar Gonzalez earned First-Team All-MW honors while junior outfielder Zach Ashford and senior shortstop Korby Batesole garnered second-team accolades. Freshman left-handed pitcher Jaime Arias was named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American going 5-1 with a 3.69 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 68.1 innings. Gonzalez, Jeremiah Burks and Batesole each went on to be selected in the 2018 MLB Draft.
The ‘Dogs finished 35-25 overall in 2017 winning 17 of its final 22 games on the season on its way to runner-up honors at the 2017 Mountain West Tournament. The Bulldogs, who finished third in the conference with a 18-12 overall mark, had six Bulldogs earn All-MW honors as Ricky Tyler Thomas, Aaron Arruda and Jesse Medrano earned First-Team All-Mountain West honors while Jake Stone, Scott Silva and Edgar Gonzalez earned Second-Team All-MW honors.Â
In addition, freshman catcher Carter Bins was named the 2017 Mountain West Freshman of the Year, the fourth freshman under Batesole to claim conference FOY honors, as well as being named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American. The 'Dogs also had a West Region-leading four student-athletes named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/ Rawlings All-Region Teams as Arruda, Silva, Stone and Jared Akins were selected to the two teams.Â
Eight Bulldogs were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft as Thomas, Arruda, Akins, Fred Schlichtholz, Rickey Ramirez, Ryan Dobson, Austin Guibor and Medrano tied for the third-most players drafted in a single draft in program history and was the sixth-most players selected in the country behind Texas (11), Michigan (11), Stanford (10), Florida State (9) and Clemson (9). Stone signed a free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Rays to give the 'Dogs nine players entering the pro ranks in 2017.
In 2016, the 'Dogs won the Mountain West regular season championship with a 21-9 mark in conference and finished 36-22 overall for its most wins in a season since 2011. Batesole picked up his first career Mountain West Coach of the Year honor as eight 'Dogs earned All-MW honors with four being named First-Team and four picking up Second-Team honors.Â
Jimmy Lambert, who was named the 2016 Mountain West Co-Pitcher of the Year, Thomas, Brody Russell and Arruda gave the 'Dogs their most First-Team selections since 2011, while Stone, Ramirez, Tim Borst and Silva were selected to the Second-Team.
In the second game of the season, a 2-1 win over Creighton, Batesole picked up his 700th career win and won his 450th contest at Fresno State on Feb. 28 in a 6-1 win over Youngstown State. The Bulldogs had a player drafted in the MLB Draft for the 40th consecutive season with a pair of 'Dogs being selected as Lambert was a fifth-round selection of the Chicago White Sox and left-handed pitcher Dylan Lee was taken in the 10th round by the Miami Marlins.Â
The Bulldogs finished third in the Mountain West with a 18-12 record and a 31-28 overall mark in 2015. Fresno State got off to a great start in 2015, sweeping its season-opening three-game series against 2014 College World Series participant UC Irvine. The ‘Dogs posted a 20-8 mark at Beiden Field, and featured MW sweeps over UNLV and San Jose State in Fresno.
After Fresno State had six Bulldogs drafted in the 2014 MLB draft, the ‘Dogs added three more draft selections in the 2015 MLB draft. Junior catcher Taylor Ward became the fifth first-round selection to play under Batesole as the Oviedo, Fla., native became the highest drafted catcher in Fresno State program history after he was the 26th overall selection by the Los Angeles Angels. Junior pitcher Jake Shull (11th Rd., Detriot Tigers) and senior pitcher Garrett Mundell (23rd Rd., New York Yankees) were also selected.
In Batesole’s 19-year tenure, the skipper has produced a total of 87 players who have been selected in the annual Major League Baseball draft.
Dedicated not only to excellence on the diamond but in the classroom as well, Batesole saw 30 Bulldogs earn Academic All-Mountain West honors in 2021 and 12 earn MW Scholar-Athlete honors, which recognizes student-athletes that maintain a 3.5 cumulative grade point average or better. Overall, Batesole has had 207 student athletes receive all-academic selections.
The Bulldogs went 28-29 in 2014 as the 'Dogs finished fifth in the Mountain West with a 13-17 overall mark. The 'Dogs went on to have six players drafted in the 2014 draft as the 15th named All-American under Batesole's tutelage, right fielder Jordan Luplow, led the way as a third-round selection (100th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Clovis, Calif. native led the MW with a .377 batting average in 57 games and owned a .470 batting average in 30 conference games, setting a league record for juniors. He was the 2014 Mountain West Player of the Year, a finalist for the Gregg Olson Award and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Luplow joined a group of exceptional former Bulldogs who have also been selected by the Pirates organization, which includes Tanner Scheppers (2008, Rd. 2) Justin Wilson (2008, Rd. 5) and Josh Poytress (2011, Rd. 18).
The next five selected in the draft were Derick Velazquez (7th Rd., Houston Astros), Jordan Brink (11th Rd., Chicago Cubs), Chris Mariscal (14th Rd., Seattle Marines), Mundell (18th Rd., Arizona Diamondbacks) and Trent Woodward (20th Rd., Houston Astros). Of the six Bulldogs selected in the 2014 MLB Draft, five went on to pursue their professional careers while Mundell elected to return to Fresno State for his senior season.
In 2013, Batesole led the Bulldogs to a fourth place finish and a 14-16 Mountain West mark in their inaugural season in the conference. Batesole guided 19 underclassmen on a roster of 26 to close out the season winning 15 of its final 26 games that included two wins in the conference tournament before being eliminated by MW tournament champion San Diego State.
Fresno State would go on to have five Bulldogs drafted in the MLB draft a few weeks later, which included first-round selection Aaron Judge (32nd overall) to the New York Yankees. Judge was the 12th Bulldog to be taken in the first round of the MLB amateur draft since 1972 and fourth under Batesole. Tanner Scheppers was taken in the first round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009, Matt Garza was selected by the Minnesota Twins as the 25th overall pick in the 2005 draft and Richie Robnett was picked in the first round by the Oakland A's after an All-American campaign with the Bulldogs in 2004.
Judge also garnered All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), while Blake Quinn was named a freshman All-American by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Prior to the start of Fresno State's first Mountain West baseball tournament, the conference announced three Bulldogs were selected as All-MW selections as voted on by the league coaches. Quinn picked up Co-Freshman of the Year, while Judge was named a first-team selection and Chris Mariscal was named second-team All-MW. Batesole has coached 58Â first-team all-conference selections in his time at Fresno State.
In 2012, the 'Dogs capped off its dynamic run in the WAC with its seventh consecutive conference championship in dramatic fashion, defeating Sacramento State 4-3 in 13 innings. Since the run began in 2006, Batesole finished with a 27-4 record in WAC tournament games. Five Bulldogs would be named to the all-tournament team and freshman Jordan Luplow received tournament MVP honors for his heroic walk-off winner in the championship game.
In 2011, Batesole coached three All-Americans as Greg Gonzalez and Dusty Robinson were named to the Louisville Slugger All-American first and third teams, respectively, while Aaron Judge was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
Nine Bulldogs were named to 2011 All-WAC teams with Robinson, Gonzalez and Judge taking home the top honors. Robinson was named WAC Player of the Year (the fourth-straight Bulldog named top conference player), Gonzalez pitcher of the year and Judge freshman of the year. After an award-filled season, it was no surprise when 10 'Dogs were selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.
During his career in the WAC, Batesole coached two male athletes of the year, seven players of the year, three pitchers of the year, three freshmen of the year and 66 All-WAC team members.
The 'Dogs also had a multi-year Academic Progress Rate of 983 out of 1000 in 2011.
In 2010, he was named the WAC Coach of the Year, while Bobby Coyle, Gonzalez, Ribera and Robinson were named first-team All-WAC. Also earning all-conference awards that year were Weber, Poytress and Muno. Ribera was the third consecutive Bulldog to be named WAC Player of the Year.
Ribera led the nation in home runs under Batesole with 27 and was named an All-American by several publications, making him the sixth Bulldog, at the time, to earn All-American honors since Batesole started at Fresno State.
Two Bulldogs were selected in the 2010 MLB draft. Coyle in the 10th round to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Muno in the 28th round to the Chicago Cubs.
The 'Dogs also had a multi-year Academic Progress Rate of 976 out of 1000 in 2010.
In 2009, the Bulldogs brought back a little magic from the 2008 season and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 32nd time in school history. Fresno State was one of only four teams in the Western Region to make four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
That same season, the Bulldogs compiled a 12-12 WAC record and a 32-30 overall record with 22 newcomers on the squad. Batesole earned his 500th career victory on May 14, 2009, with a 15-7 win over Sacramento State. Batesole's team had four first-team All-WAC selections in Mendonca, Muno, Sprague and Robinson and four players taken in the 2009 MLB draft. Mendonca earned several All-American honors, while Robinson was named a freshman All-American.
Batesole led the Bulldogs to a historical 2008 season after defying the odds and beating six ranked teams and facing six elimination games to win the program's first-ever National Championship. That season saw six 'Dogs drafted to Major League Baseball.
Batesole earned three additional National Coach of the Year accolades that year from the American Baseball Coaches Association, FieldTurf and the National College Baseball Writers Association.
The Bulldogs captured their third-consecutive WAC championship in 2008 and finished the postseason run with an overall record of 47-31. Six Bulldogs were drafted in the 2008 MLB draft. Batesole earned four National Coach of the Year accolades from the American Baseball Coaches Association, FieldTurf, the National College Baseball Writers Association and, for the second time, from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Fresno State saw five players earn first-team All-WAC honors in 2008. Under Batesole, Susdorf earned Player of the Year, Muno was named Freshman of the Year and Scheppers became the Pitcher of the Year. Batesole also shared the WAC Coach of the Year title. The 2008 postseason run was the 'Dogs fourth appearance at the College World Series and first National Championship.
The Bulldogs took home a WAC Championship in 2007 and, for the first time in school history, won back- to-back WAC league and tournament championships. The Bulldogs finished with a 17-7 conference mark and a 38-29 overall record. Fresno State captured the title in 2006, producing one of the best records in school history at 45-18. In addition, Batesole has continued the success of producing quality prospects. Four members of the Fresno State program were drafted in the 2007 MLB draft in Susdorf, Brandon Miller, Brian Lapin and Ozzie Lewis. Batesole also generated six first-team All-WAC selections, one less than the 2006 team.
The WAC Tournament win in 2006 was the first in the program's history. The Bulldogs reached the postseason for the second time since 2001 with one win against San Diego and another against Minnesota and two losses against Cal State Fullerton. The 2006 Bulldog team closed out the year with the program's 31st-straight season at .500 or above.
In 2003, Batesole became the third head coach at Fresno State since 1948 and the eighth skipper overall in the program's 82-year history. In his first year, Batesole guided the Bulldogs to their 27th consecutive winning season and 16th-straight campaign with 30 or more wins with a 30-29 record. A season-high nine-game winning streak, that included the school's 13th Pepsi/Johnny Quik Classic title, highlighted the year. Under his tutelage, five Bulldogs earned All-WAC honors.
Batesole joined the Bulldogs after spending seven seasons as head coach at Cal State Northridge. During his tenure, the Matadors captured a Western Athletic Conference (1996) and Big West Conference title (2002). The Matadors made two NCAA Tournament appearances under Batesole and were eliminated by J.D. Drew and the Florida State Seminoles in the NCAA Tournament Regionals in 1996.
In 2002, the Matadors finished first in the conference in home runs (89), RBIs (392), slugging percentage (.503), on-base percentage (.413) and walks (298). The squad featured nine All-Big West selections, including the conference's Player of the Year, Eric Verbryke. Cal State Northridge was ranked as high as 15th in the national polls.
His career record of 256-158-1 at Northridge ranks him second all-time in program history. His .620 winning percentage also ranks as the best ever in school history. Batesole reached the 250-win mark May 5, 2002, with a 10-3 victory against Pacific.
In Batesole's seven years at Cal State Northridge, 37 of his players made it to the professional ranks.
His desire to win was evident the moment Batesole took the helm at Northridge, when he led the 1996 squad to 19 wins in its first 20 games. He reached the 100-win and 200-win plateaus faster than any other coach in Northridge history.
In 1998, Batesole led a team made up primarily of freshmen and junior college transfers to a 37-19 record. Although predicted to be a rebuilding year for the Matadors, the squad set a program record by winning 16 consecutive games and finished the season ranked in the top 30 by several publications. Northridge won 25 of its final 27 games, including wins over Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton and UCLA. For his team's incredible turnaround, Batesole was named Collegiate Baseball's National Coach of the Year.
His drive to take Northridge to the College World Series can be traced to his first season as head coach in 1996. That season, he led the Matadors to their first ever Western Athletic Conference title. The team defeated Mississippi State and Stanford before falling one day short of the College World Series in a loss to Florida State in the West Region Final. The squad set 43 school records, highlighted by 52 wins, 129 home runs and 576 RBIs. Cal State Northridge was ranked as high as third in the nation and finished the season ranked tenth in three polls.
In his first two seasons at Northridge, the squad led the nation in total wins with a record of 94-38-1. Before taking the reins as head coach, Batesole was an assistant for two years under Bill Kernen, where he worked with the Matador infielders and ran the offense.
Batesole earned a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from Cal State Fullerton in 1990 and received his Master's Degree in Biomechanics in 1992. During his stay at Fullerton, Batesole became an instructor in the Department of Health and Physical Education. His teaching experience also includes time at Cypress College, the North Orange County Community College District and Orange Coast College.
A major reason Batesole has been one of the most successful coaches in the nation comes from the lessons he learned on the field as a professional and All-American player. As a hard-hitting third baseman, Batesole spent four seasons playing professionally in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system from 1985-88. He was named to the Florida State League All-Star team in 1987 and played for the Dodgers' Double-A team in San Antonio, Texas in 1988.
Batesole earned Summer League All-America honors and became a member of the U.S.A. Baseball Team in 1984. He put together an impressive season as a member of the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in 1983, finishing with 30 home runs and 140 RBIs over a 12 month period.
A native of Anaheim, Calif., Batesole played shortstop for Garden Grove High School where he earned All-Garden Grove Conference and All-Orange County honors. He finished his senior season in 1982 with an incredible .500 batting average and 24 doubles. Batesole then was a standout player at Oral Roberts where he finished his tenure ranked third in school history in career home runs.
Batesole has also received recognition for his work in the community. He has twice been named (1997 & 1999) the prestigious Performance Salary Step Increase Award from the California State Board of Trustees for "meritous performance in the area of teaching, professional accomplishments and service to the university community."
Batesole lives in Fresno with his wife Susie and they have four children - Kassy, Kally, Kody and Korby.
Coaching Accomplishments
Awards/Honors
Two-time Collegiate Baseball National Coach of the Year (1998, 2008)
Named 2008 National Coach of the Year by American Baseball Coaches Association, National College Baseball Writers Association and FieldTurf
Two-time Mountain West Coach of the Year (2016 & 2019)
Two-time Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2008 & 2010)
2002 Big West Conference Coach of the Year
Had school's first ESPY nomination for "Biggest Upset" in 2008
Milestones
800th career win against Utah Valley (6-3) on February 16, 2019
700th career win against Creighton (2-1) on February 20, 2016
600th career win against Cal Poly (5-3) on April 17, 2012
500th career win against Sacramento State (15-7) on May 14, 2009
400th career win against Iowa (14-6) on March 13, 2007
300th career win against Louisiana Tech (12-4) on April 4, 2004
600th career Fresno State win against Air Force (8-3) on April 10, 2021
500th career Fresno State win against San Jose State (16-8) on April 30, 2017
400th career Fresno State win against UNLV (2-0) on April 5, 2014
300th career Fresno State win against Nebraska (1-0) on March 12, 2011
200th career Fresno State win against New Mexico State (6-4) on May 4, 2008
100th career Fresno State win against Portland (16-5) on March 5, 2006
Third head coach in Fresno State history to have over 100 wins (Bob Bennett-1,302; Pete Beiden- 601)
Championships/Titles at Fresno StateÂ
National Championship ('08)
Seven NCAA Tournament appearances ('06, '07, '08, '09, '11, '12, '19)
Two-time Mountain West Regular Season Champions ('16, '19)
Mountain West Tournament Champions ('19)
Five-time WAC Regular Season Champions ('06,'07,'08,'10,'11)
Six-time WAC Tournament Champions ('06, '07, '08, '09, '11, '12)
Five Pepsi/Johnny Quick Classic titles
Championships/Titles at CSUN
Two NCAA Tournament appearances ('96, '02)
WAC Championship ('96)
Big West Championship ('02)
Student-Athlete National Awards/Honors
89Â players selected in MLB draft
70 First-Team All-Conference selections
39 All-Americans
Nine Freshman All-Americans
Six First-Round MLB Draft picks
Six National Players of the Week
College World Series Most Valuable Player
Five College World Series Tournament Team members
Academic All-Americans
Student-Athlete Conference Awards/Honors
Two WAC Male Athletes of the Year
Eight Conference Player of the Year
Five Conference Pitchers of the Year
Four Conference Freshmen of the Year
66 All-WAC team members
47Â All-MW team members
69 Academic All-WAC student-athletes
167Â Academic All-MW student-athletes
Capital One Academic All-District team member (2014)Â
