Shaun Cole

Shaun Cole, former national pitching coach of the year and current San Diego State pitching coach, was elevated to head coach of the Aztec baseball program, as announced July 25, 2023 by SDSU Director of Athletics John David Wicker.

Cole’s impressive resume includes successful stops as associate head coach/pitching coach at Eastern Kentucky University, coordinator for player development in San Diego Padres’ highly rated farm system, USA Baseball 18U National Team director and pitching coach at the University of Arizona, where he won a College World Series championship and oversaw multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am very honored to become just the sixth head coach in program history,” Cole said. “SDSU baseball has vast potential, and I am excited to build off the previous successes and take this program to new levels. We expect to compete for conference championships through enhanced recruiting, player development and a tireless work ethic.

“I want to say thank you to the administration, alumni and players for supporting me in this transition to be the next head coach. I also want to recognize Mark Martinez and his commitment to San Diego State for 18 years. Mark maintained the program while honoring Tony Gwynn’s legacy with passion and pride. I’m thankful for the past two seasons together and his support.”

“Shaun is one of the brightest minds in college baseball,” Wicker said. “He has continually developed players at all levels, and we’re excited to have him leading our program.”

Cole spent six seasons at Arizona from 2009-14, serving one year as the Wildcats’ director of baseball operations before he was elevated to pitching coach. During Cole’s tenure, Arizona made four NCAA regional appearances, highlighted by a College World Series title in 2012, the same season he was named National Pitching Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

While in Tucson, Cole developed and guided three of the school’s most successful pitching staffs, as Wildcat hurlers combined for 121 wins, 25 complete games and 1,324 strikeouts between 2010 and 2012. Overall, Cole mentored nine pitchers who were selected in the MLB Draft, including Kurt Heyer, who received All-America recognition in 2011 by the NCBWA and Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

Not to be outdone, Cole made his mark on the recruiting trail as well at Arizona, contributing to four consecutive nationally ranked signing classes in 2012 (19th), 2013 (37th), 2014 (12th) and 2015 (17th).

Since Cole’s arrival on The Mesa for the 2022 season, SDSU pitchers have led the Mountain West in earned run average, strikeouts, opposing team batting average and fewest hits allowed for two straight years while producing a trio of MLB Draft Picks in TJ Fondtain, Kelena Sauer and Troy Melton.

Under Cole’s direction, the Aztecs once again flashed their talents during the 2023 campaign, as the Scarlet and Black topped the conference in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.48), both of which ranked 36th in the country. In addition, the SDSU staff tossed a league-leading four shutouts, their highest total since 2017, which was tied for 32nd nationally.

Following the 2023 season, Fondtain was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, while Sauer was chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays shortly thereafter in the 15th round.

The 2023 Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, Fondtain burst onto the national scene after completing the eighth no-hitter in program history and the first since 2009 in a 4-0 shutout of Nevada on April 21. For his efforts, the Aztec left-hander garnered widespread acclaim, collecting Pitcher of the Week honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and D1Baseball.com along with his selection as Peak Performer of the Week from USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award.

Not to be outdone, Fondtain received All-America recognition from multiple outlets, including second-team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA/Rawlings), D1Baseball.com and Collegiate Baseball newspaper to go with third-team plaudits from Baseball America.

Meanwhile, Sauer earned first-team all-Mountain West honors after leading the league with 12 saves, becoming the first Aztec to surpass double digits in that season statistic since 2017 (CJ Saylor). He also appeared on the midseason watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Stopper of the Year award after collecting consecutive saves vs. UNLV to earn MW Pitcher of the Week honors.

In 2022, Cole made a tremendous impact in his first year at SDSU, as the Aztec pitching staff once again led the Mountain West in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.85) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.1), which ranked 55th and 85th in the nation, respectively.

Individually, Cole mentored a pair of all-league hurlers, including Troy Melton, who was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fourth round of the MLB Draft after earning MW Co-Pitcher of the Year honors along with second-team ABCA/Rawlings All-West Region accolades.

In addition, Cole presided over the mound debut over Fondtain, who received second-team all-conference recognition in his first season as a starting pitcher to go with a trio of MW Pitcher of the Week awards.

Cole arrived in “America’s Finest City” after a two-year stint at Eastern Kentucky University, where he served as the Colonels’ associate head coach/pitching coach in 2019-20.

During his tenure, Cole developed and guided one of EKU’s most successful pitching staffs while enrolling three of the highest ranked recruiting classes in program history. In his first season in 2019, EKU set team records for strikeouts (510) and lowest opposing batting average (.258) while logging the most victories (32) since 2004 and lowest team ERA (4.79) since 2008.

Under Cole’s tutelage, three Colonel pitchers garnered all-Ohio Valley Conference accolades in 2019, including first-team selection Aaron Ochsenbein, who was picked by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round of the MLB Draft that year after setting a school record for lowest single-season ERA (0.83).

During the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Cole helped EKU engineer one of the best starts in school history, as the Colonels rolled to a 12-2 record, highlighted by an upset at No. 11 LSU, before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to his stint in the Bluegrass State, Cole served as coordinator for player development with the San Diego Padres, where he was involved in all aspects of baseball operations, scouting and player development.

Among his countless duties with the Padres, Cole assisted in player development for the team’s minor league system, which was ranked No. 1 in MLB in 2018, including the Padres Dominican Republic Academy. In addition, he cross-checked prospects throughout the country for the 2016 MLB Draft and attended pre-draft workouts.

In 2016, Cole was also the pitching coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Padres’ short-season Class A affiliate based in Pasco, Washington, where he developed the organization’s top pitching prospects.

In 2017, Cole served as the coordinator for San Diego’s spring training facility in Arizona. In that role, he oversaw the daily operations of mini-camp, extended spring training, as well as two rookie ball teams during the Arizona Fall League. He also managed the AZL Padres that season.

From June 2014 to Sept. 2015, Cole served as the director of the 18U National Team for USA Baseball. Among his responsibilities was managing the Tournament of Stars presented by MLB and the 17U National Team Identification Series – both primary selection vehicles for the 18U National Team. Under Cole’s guidance, the 18U National Team captured gold medals at the 2014 COPABE Pan American Championships in Mexico as well as the 2015 WBSC 18U Baseball World Championships in Japan.

Cole began his coaching career as the pitching coach for one season at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington, helping the Tritons capture the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (now NWAC) championship in 2008.

In 2004, Cole earned a bachelor of arts degree in education with a concentration in kinesiology at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He also completed a master’s of education degree in 2009 at the University of Washington in intercollegiate athletic leadership.

Cole, 44, takes over for Mark Martinez, who retired on July 13, following a nine-year tenure as head coach from 2015-23, when he led the Aztecs to three Mountain West tournament championships (2015, 2017, 2018) and one regular-season conference title (2023).

SHAUN COLE FILE
Birthdate: Feb. 4, 1979
Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.
Education: B.A., William Penn Univ. (2004); M.Ed., Washington (2009)

Experience
Head Coach: San Diego State, 2023-
Pitching Coach: San Diego State, 2021-23
Associate Head Coach/Pitching Coach: Eastern Kentucky, 2019-20
Coordinator for Player Development: San Diego Padres, 2016-18
18U National Team Director: USA Baseball, 2014-15
Pitching Coach: Arizona, 2010-14
Director of Baseball Operations: Arizona, 2009
Pitching Coach: Edmonds Community College (Wash.), 2008