Fresno State Athletics
Mike Batesole Named New Baseball Coach
5/28/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 28, 2002
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State Athletics Director Scott Johnson has announced that Mike Batesole has been selected as the Fresno State head baseball coach. Batesole replaces Bob Bennett, who retired after 34 seasons as head coach.
"Mike won this job from an impressive pool of candidates," Johnson said. "The search committee, the administration and the community members who were involved in the process were all very impressed. We have selected a proven winner."
Batesole, 38, has worked miracles in seven seasons at Cal State Northridge, guiding the Matadors to the 2002 Big West Conference championship and a 40-15 (19-5 BWC) record in just their second season in the league. In winning the conference title, CSN snapped Cal State Fullerton's streak of five Big West crowns in a row. The Matadors, who have won 15 of their last 17 games and possess an amazing 16-4 road record, are currently ranked 15th in the nation entering this week's NCAA Tournament, in which they will play Maine in the first round Friday at USC. Cal State Northridge led the Big West with 437 runs scored this season, averaging 7.9 per game.
"My family and I are extremely excited about this opportunity and being a part of the Fresno State campus and the community," Batesole said. "I'm looking forward to working with the members of the community to continue the great tradition of Bulldog baseball. I'm excited that this athletics department is committed to honesty and integrity. Over the years, Bulldog baseball has been second to none when it comes to that. My goal is for all of the top high school and junior college players in the Valley to make Fresno State their top priority, and I want to work with the community to insure that."
Batesole was named the 1998 Collegiate Baseball Division I Coach of the Year, guiding the Matadors to a 37-19 record just one year after the program had been disbanded and then resurrected. He patched together a team primarily of freshmen and junior college transfers that won 25 of its last 27 games and finished ranked in the nation's top 30.
In 1996, his first season as head coach, he guided Cal State Northridge to a 52-18 record and WAC championship by defeating BYU in a three-game series in Provo, Utah. That season, the Matadors were ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation and finished as the West Regional runner-up, defeating Mississippi State and Stanford before falling to
- more - Florida State one game shy of the College World Series. They finished No. 10 in the nation and set 43 school records. Batesole followed that with a 42-20-1 record in his second season. According to research by the Los Angeles Times, his 94 wins were the most by a first-year Division I coach in his first two seasons. As a Division I Independent and despite 42 wins, the Matadors were not invited to the NCAA Tournament that year.
"Mike has excellent ties in California and is a proven recruiter," Johnson said. "It was evident in his on-campus interview that he is an intense competitor, is very direct and honest and deals well with people. The one thing that is also apparent is that his players play very hard and that's always a great quality to have in a coach."
A strong recruiter, Batesole brought three consecutive top 25 recruiting classes to Cal State Northridge. Baseball America rated his 2001 class No. 15 in the nation.
Batesole was an assistant coach for two seasons at Cal State Northridge prior to becoming head coach. He was an assistant college coach at Cypress (Calif.) College in 1993 and at Orange Coast (Costa Mesa, Calif.) College from 1985-87 and in 1989.
He earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Cal State Fullerton in 1990 and a master's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in biomechanics in 1992. He was a standout player at Oral Roberts, where he became the school's all-time home run leader at the end of his career. He played four seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system and was named to the Florida League All-Star team in 1987. He was a member of Team USA in 1984 where he was a teammate of former Fresno State pitcher Mark Gardner.
Batesole and his wife, Susie, have two daughters, Kassy, 13, and Kally, 10, and two sons, Kody, 7, and Korby, 6.
Mike Batesole Year-by-Year
| Year | Record | Conf. Record/Place |
| 1996 | 52-18 | 21-9/1st (WAC) |
| 1997 | 42-20-1 | N/A |
| 1998 | 37-19 | N/A |
| 1999 | 27-29 | N/A |
| 2000 | 23-33 | N/A |
| 2001 | 34-22 | 9-9/4th (Big West) |
| 2002 | 40-15 | 19-5/1st (Big West) |
| Overall | 255-156-1 | 49-23 |
