December 3, 2025
Kevin Vance stood in front of cameras in July 2025 as San Diego State's seventh head coach in program history, fresh off helping Arizona reach the College World Series. The Torrey Pines High School graduate was coming home to rebuild a program that had gone 37-76 over two seasons.
The answer? Bring the College World Series culture with him. Vance brought seven Oregon State transfers, two Arizona pitchers, and built a 2026 roster of 34 players ready to write a new chapter. After finishing 20-39 in 2025, SDSU is betting on a coach who knows how to win at the highest level.
The Foundation
- Location: San Diego, California
- Enrollment: ~29,000 students
- Average GPA: 3.0-3.8
What Matters: Year-round baseball weather, legendary program history, and a degree from California's flagship university system.
The Legacy
- Home of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn
- Stephen Strasburg (World Series MVP)
- Last NCAA Tournament: 2018
- Tony Gwynn Stadium (3,000 capacity)
- Member of Mountain West (joining Pac-12 in 2026)
SDSU baseball = championship history meeting fresh energy.
The Coach: Kevin Vance
- Former two-way star at Torrey Pines High School
- Helped Arizona reach 2025 College World Series as assistant
- Developed Tony Pluta (2025 Stopper of the Year)
- All-Big East player at UConn, second-team All-American
- Coaching stops: Arizona, Boston College, Rhode Island
Why He Matters: Vance emerged from a national search that included input from SDSU legends Bud Black, Stephen Strasburg, and Tony Gwynn Jr. He's a San Diego native who brings College World Series experience and knows how to develop talent.
The 2025 Reality
- 20-39 overall, 14-16 Mountain West
- Honest truth: it was rough. 6.98 team ERA, led Mountain West in walks, runs allowed, wild pitches. But that led to change. Shaun Cole finished 38-76 over two seasons before being let go.
- The silver lining? SDSU made the Mountain West tournament as the fifth seed. The foundation exists—it just needed the right leadership.
Facilities:
- Tony Gwynn Stadium - Opened 1997, $4 million rebuild funded by Padres owner John Moores. 3,000 capacity on SDSU's campus. Named for the Hall of Famer who played and coached here. Perfect San Diego weather for year-round baseball.
- Modern training facilities, video analysis, strength programs.
San Diego location = constant pro scout exposure and proximity to spring training facilities.
The Academics
- Top-tier California State University with strong business, engineering, and communications programs.
- Comprehensive support for student-athletes balancing baseball with academics.
MLB Legends:
- Tony Gwynn (Hall of Fame)
- Stephen Strasburg (World Series MVP)
- Dozens of MLB players
The program has sent talent to the majors for decades. With Vance's development track record, that pipeline is about to reopen.
Why SDSU Now
- Brand new coaching staff with College World Series experience
- Seven Oregon State transfers from CWS team
- Joining Pac-12 Conference in 2026
- Tony Gwynn Stadium and San Diego weather
- Ground-floor opportunity to be part of the rebuild
- Degree from respected California university
This is your chance to be part of writing the next chapter.
How We Help
Most families guess their way through recruiting. Hoping the right email, showcase, or video gets noticed. We replace guesswork with a proven plan: the right timeline, targeted outreach, strategic exposure, and polished videos. Your athlete won't just be seen, they'll be pursued.
Ready to take action?
If your athlete wants to be part of a fresh start at a legendary program, don't leave their future to chance.
Schedule Your Strategy Call with Alex
SDSU is rebuilding right now. Make sure your athlete is part of the foundation.
To your son's success.
P.S. I help families take the uncertainty out of the recruiting process and get interest and offers from their college fits.
- Premier Athletes Recruiting Program (4-figure investment) – Full-service: coaches outreach, video creation, bi-weekly check-ins, and our proven playbook to turn interest into legit offers.
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About Alex
Meet your college baseball recruiting specialist: Alex Swenson.
As a high school baseball player, I navigated the college recruiting process all on my own. Despite average statistics, I landed a spot on a Division-1 baseball team Jacksonville University, where I became a 3-time team captain. Post-college, I became a D1 coach, scout, and recruiter at Georgetown University and Ole Miss, where we won an SEC championship.
After experiencing the process as both recruit and recruiter, I’ve successfully dissected the best strategies to connect with college coaches and draw offers from them.
After experiencing the process as both recruit and recruiter, I’ve successfully dissected the best strategies to connect with college coaches and draw offers from them.
Learn more about Alex’s Experience
Premier Athletes Recruiting Program
Receive professional direction from Alex himself until your son commits to his desired school. A step-by-step action plan will be provided with strategic small-group coaching meetings every 2 weeks to ensure we are making progress. Included is a baseball networking platform that connects him to coaches, optimizes his exposure to scouts, alerts him to college camps and showcases, and MUCH MORE.
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