SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos baseball team will have a new leader this fall as CSUSM Director of Athletics Jennifer Milo announced the hiring of Jose Garcia as the program’s new head coach on Monday.
“Jose is ready and prepared to lead Cougar Baseball into the next level of success athletically and academically,” Milo said. “Jose’s experience and success in the CCAA while at Chico State will benefit our program and student-athletes. He believes deeply in the development of student-athletes that leads to success on the field. We are excited to have Jose join our Cougar family.
Garcia comes to CSUSM from fellow CCAA member Chico State where he was the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Wildcats. Joining Chico’s staff as a student assistant in Fall 2012, Garcia helped the Wildcats notch 286 victories, seven postseason appearances, two CCAA Championships, one NCAA West Region Championship and one College World Series appearance in 10 years with the program.
Serving as Chico’s primary hitting and infield coach, Garcia coached the Wildcats’ offense to a conference-record .344 team batting average while assisting the team to a 34-15 overall record in 2022 despite only returning seven players from the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In 2017, Garcia helped Chico to another CCAA record with a win-loss total of 34-4 in conference play while also helping the team to an NCAA Division II-best .983 fielding percentage.
“First and foremost I want to thank Director of Athletics Jennifer Milo, Associate Director of Athletics Todd Snedden and the rest of the hiring committee for this opportunity. Being a Southern California native, it’s great to know my fiancé and I will be coming back down south,” Garcia said. “I was fortunate enough to have 10 great years at Chico State and valued every minute of being a part of that program. I am grateful to have been surrounded by such great people and lucky to have had the opportunity to be mentored by a great coach in Dave Taylor. Without my experiences there, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. As I look forward, I can’t express how ecstatic I am to be the next head baseball coach at Cal State San Marcos. The campus is incredible. There is so much growth happening all around the area and there is an infectious energy here. The current roster is littered with young promising players and I’m eager to get a chance to work with them. The future looks bright. As far as recruiting goes, there’s no better place to find talent than Southern California. There is so much untapped potential in and around the North County.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Cougar Family and I’m excited to lead the Cal State Marcos baseball program. I can’t wait to get to work.”
In 2020, Garcia was selected to serve as Chico’s representative on the CCAA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee where he represented the Wildcats from the lens of a first-generation Mexican American.
Before becoming a student and coach at Chico, Garcia wrapped up his playing career at College of the Desert in Palm Desert. He was an All-Foothill Conference honorable mention as a freshman and was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2011. Prior to college, Garcia was a prep standout at Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley where was named the Gatorade Freshman Player of the Year and took home All-Southwestern League honors.
Garcia is a graduate of Chico State and earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in coaching. He later earned his master’s degree in School and Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Positive Coaching from the University of Missouri in 2017.
