Point Loma Nazarene University Men's Baseball

In his seven years as PLNU Baseball Head Coach, Justin James has led the program to new heights. 224-107-1 overall record (.676) 5 NCAA West Regional appearances in every full season played (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) 2 NCAA West Region championships (2022, 2024) 2 NCAA Division II World Series appearances (2022, 2024) NCAA National Runner-Up (2022) 3 PacWest championships (2022, 2023, 2024) PacWest Tournament champions (2024) Postseason Coaching Experience (5 College World Series Appearances, 9 Regionals) 2x ABCA/ATEC West Regional Coach of the Year (2022, 2024) PacWest Coach of the Year (2022) 3 West Region Players of the Year (Baxter Halligan - 2022, Jakob Christian - 2023, Scott Anderson - 2024) 3 PacWest Players of the Year (Baxter Halligan - 2022, Jakob Christian - 2023, Scott Anderson - 2024) 3 PacWest Pitchers of the Year (Zack Noll - 2019, Baxter Halligan - 2022, Dylan Miller - 2024) National Pitcher of the Year (Baxter Halligan - 2022) National Player of the Year (Jakob Christian - 2023) 10 All-Americans 28 All-West Region selections 47 All-PacWest selections In 2022, PLNU won its first-ever PacWest Conference championship and NCAA Regional title in route to finishing as National Runner-Up at the NCAA Division II World Series. Along the way, the team set program and PacWest records for most wins (51) in a single season, making the deepest postseason run of any PacWest baseball team in history. After the season, pitcher Zachary Veen (18th Round, Pick 534) was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, while third baseman Otto Kemp signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Pitcher/Outfielder Baxter Halligan and Veen became PLNU's first-ever selections to the D2CCA Baseball All-American Team, while Halligan and pitcher Cole Hillier earned ABCA and NCBWA All-American honors. Halligan was also named PacWest Player, Pitcher and Male Athlete of the Year. Hillier, who led the NCAA in saves with 17 on the season, joined Halligan, Kemp and Veen on the ABCA All-West Region Team. In 2023, Point Loma repeated as PacWest Conference champions and made their second-straight NCAA West Regional appearance. In addition to his D2CCA Ron Lenz National Player of the Year award, Christian was named PacWest Player of the Year, as well as D2CCA/NCBWA/ABCA West Region Player of the Year. That was followed up in 2024 with a second West Region championship and NCAA Division II World Series appearance in three seasons. Point Loma also won a third-straight PacWest title before claiming a first-ever PacWest Tournament championship. Scott Anderson became PLNU's third-straight West Region and PacWest Player of the Year. He earned All-American honors along with Dylan Miller and James Sashin, who led NCAA Division II in saves (18) to set a new program and PacWest single-season record. Then in 2025, Point Loma made its fourth straight NCAA West Regional appearance, extending its program record. During the season, James surpassed the 200 wins mark as PLNU Head Coach. In his first season as head coach in 2019, James guided PLNU to a 32-21 record, a pair of postseason victories and into the final game of the NCAA West Regional #2. The Sea Lions ranked as high as No. 2 in the West Region poll, and reached No. 14 in the national rankings.   Under James' leadership, the PLNU pitching staff posted the most strikeouts in a single-season in school history (445) and Zack Noll was named the PacWest Pitcher of the Year. Noll was one of five Sea Lions named to the All-PacWest team in James' first season. Micah Pries and Zack Noll would also earn multiple All-West Region honors before being voted to the NCBWA All-America team.   Pries was then selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 13th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, making him the first Sea Lion since 2012 to be drafted.   James' second season was cut short due to the COVID pandemic. At the time, the Sea Lions were playing their best baseball. They were coming off a series win against Holy Names and had nationally ranked Biola on deck. PLNU finished conference play 3-1 (9-8 overall) and in second place in the PacWest standings.   James returned to his alma mater to take over as the head coach of the Sea Lions in the summer of 2018. James has over 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, including two as the pitching coaching at UC San Diego, where he helped lead the Tritons to back-to-back NCAA West Regional Championships.   During his two years in La Jolla, UCSD went 87-36 (.707) and registered a 3.79 team earned run average. Four Tritons off his pitching staffs were selected in the MLB Draft. Kyle Goodbrand (Round 36, Tampa Bay Rays) was selected in 2017, and Cameron Kurz (18, Atlanta Braves), Mitch Hickey (28, New York Mets) and Ted Stuka (39, Baltimore Orioles) all went in 2018.   In 2018, UC San Diego broke the school-record for strikeouts with 528, finishing fourth in the country. UCSD won 40-plus games for a second straight season and collected its CCAA-record seventh championship. The Tritons' 3.93 earned run average that season ranked No. 3 in the West Region and No. 23 nationally. In his first season with UCSD, James helped the Tritons go 44-19, win the NCAA West Regional and finished as national runners-up. The finish matched the best in program history and the 44 wins were the second-most. James' staff compiled a 3.67 ERA to finish 24th in the country.   Prior to going to UCSD, James served eight seasons as an assistant coach at PLNU, including the last two as the pitching coach. He returned to his alma mater for the 2010 season and helped the team reach the NAIA World Series where they finished third. James has also served in his roles of recruiting, camp coordination and opponent scouting, in addition to many others. Five of his PLNU pupils, Chad Blauer, Ryan Garcia, Ricky Gingras, Clinton Harwick and Steve Winnisk, went on to earn professional contracts.   During the two seasons with James as the pitching coach, the Sea Lions rose up to be one of best staffs, not only in the PacWest, but in NCAA Division II. During the 2016 season, PLNU ranked in the top 10 of four national pitching categories. The staff ranked second nationally in walks allowed per 9 innings (2.16), eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.23), ninth in WHIP (1.20) and 10th in earned run average (3.15). This season's earned run average marked a drop in over a run since James took over as the Sea Lions went from a 4.17 ERA in 2014 to a 3.83 ERA in 2015 to a 3.15 ERA in 2016. James also helped guide Coleman Huntley III to first team Daktronics All-West Region honors in 2015 and a nomination for the Brett Tomko Pitcher of the Year award after he led NCAA Division II with 13 saves in the regular season. That season, the PLNU pitching staff ranked 19th in the country with 2.78 walks per 9 innings and 27th with five shutouts.   Before returning to PLNU, James spent the two prior seasons assisting the New Mexico Highlands University baseball team under head coach Steve Jones. During that span the Cowboys won 70 games, twice reached the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) tournament championship game and qualified for the NCAA Division II Western regionals in 2009. During that year the Cowboys lead NCAA Division II in doubles (181) and team batting average (.377).   In addition to his coaching duties at NMHU, James was the strength and conditioning coach for the university's athletic teams and was in charge of game management, which included setting up every home sporting event up to NCAA standards and RMAC regulations. He also ran the school's intramural program.   James has earned USA Baseball appointments in two summers. He was in charge of the 11U Southwest squad during the National Team Identification Series (NTIS) in 2016 and the 13U Southern California NTIS team in 2017, both in Cary, N.C.   James prepped at South Pasadena High School where he earned two varsity letters and was named the Tigers MVP in 1999. He helped lead SPHS to their first league title in 31 years and won the Pat Murphy Award and all-league outfield honors.   After high school James played collegiately at Citrus College (2000-2001) under Skip Claprood in Glendora, Calif. At Citrus he earned the coaches award in 2001 before he transferred and pitched at Point Loma Nazarene University (2002-03). At PLNU James helped the Sea Lions to two regional playoff berths and the Region II championship game in ’03. He made 17 appearances and posted a 3.95 ERA in his senior season. He would go on to earn his degree in History from PLNU.   After Point Loma, James was the pitching coach at local Claremont High School for two seasons before moving onto New Mexico Highlands University. In 2009 he earned a Master's degree in exercise and sports sciences/sports administration at NMHU.   James was also previously the head coach of the Myrtle Beach Summer Collegiate Baseball Team - The Surfriders.   James is married to his wife Lindsey and the couple has a pair of daughters, Kinley and Ellie.   Head Coaching Career School Year Overall Conference Conference Finish Postseason/Honors/Notes Point Loma 2019 32-21 18-13 3rd NCAA West Region #2 Runner-Up Point Loma 2020 9-8 3-1 N/A - COVID-19 N/A - COVID-19 Point Loma 2021 11-21 8-14 4th-SoCal Pod None Point Loma 2022 51-10 25-7 1st NCAA West Region champion, National Runner-Up, PacWest champion Point Loma 2023 36-16 22-8 1st NCAA West Regional, PacWest champion Point Loma 2024 46-13-1 25-6-1 1st NCAA West Region champion, PacWest champion, PacWest Tournament champion Point Loma 2025 39-18 32-12 2nd NCAA West Region #1 Runner-Up Total 7 Seasons 224-107-1 133-61-1      

In his first season as an assistant coach for PLNU Baseball, Steve Sanchez helped lead the Sea Lions to their best season in program history. The Sea Lions won their first-ever PacWest Conference championship and NCAA Regional title in route to finishing as National Runner-Up at the NCAA Division II World Series. Along the way, the team set program and PacWest records for most wins (51) in a single season, making the deepest postseason run of any PacWest baseball team in history. Point Loma has made the NCAA West Regional in all four of his seasons on The Point, making two NCAA World Series appearances (2022, 2024). PLNU also won three-straight PacWest titles from 2022-24. Sanchez joined the Sea Lions after spending the first 14 years of his career at San Diego Mesa College. Steve was an assistant coach from 2007-2015 and then was named head coach from 2016 to 2021. During his time as head coach, the Olympians made two regional appearances (2018, 2019), one super regional appearance (2019) as well as being named PCAC coach of the year (2019). He was also a professor of kinesiology, health, and exercise science for 12 of his 14 years at Mesa. In his time as head coach at Mesa, the Olympians transferred over 60 athletes to the 4 year and professional level, and in his total time at Mesa, over 160 athletes transferred to the 4 year and professional level. Additionally, the Olympians produced PCAC player of the year twice in Dillon Haupt (2011) and Koby Lopez (2019). Steve spent two summers serving as assistant coach for the Willmar Stingers in the Northwoods Collegiate wood bat league. During both seasons, the Stingers received playoff berths and won a division championship his second summer with the team. Steve played high school baseball at Santa Fe Christian in Solana Beach, CA. He then transferred to San Diego Mesa Community College. He received a scholarship to play at California Baptist University playing under Gary Adcock. Steve received a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from California Baptist University. He then received a master’s degree and single-subject teaching credential from Azusa Pacific University.      Steve and his wife Holly live in Carlsbad with their two daughters Ellie and Millie.            

Jack Gonzales completed his third year as a PLNU Baseball Assistant Coach in 2025. Gonzales joined the coaching staff of his alma mater after a stellar career pitching for the Sea Lions. In 2022, he pitched PLNU to the NCAA Division II World Series, where Point Loma finished as national runner-up after previously winning the program's first ever PacWest Conference and NCAA West Regional titles. Gonzales accumulated a 10-2 record on the season, pitching to a 3.48 ERA in 95.2 innings pitched. He threw a seven-inning no-hitter on April 29, 2022 against CUI while striking out 15 batters, and also earned the win against Southern Arkansas at the World Series.

Jake joined the PLNU Baseball coaching staff as an Assistant Coach ahead of the 2026 season. He previously served as an assistant coach at San Diego Mesa College. In 2024, the Olympians went 24-20 and reached the CCCAA Super Regionals for the first time since 2019. Catcher Landen Bailey earned First Team All-Conference honors under Rico’s guidance. Across his three seasons, Rico developed multiple all-conference catchers, while also overseeing field maintenance and assisting in the role of Athletic Retention Technician. Prior to Mesa, Jake served as a volunteer assistant coach at NCAA Division II Cal State San Marcos from 2020–2022, working under Head Coach Matt Guiliano. In 2022, RHP Garrett Apker signed with the Detroit Tigers. Rico was the manager of the San Diego Waves summer collegiate team from 2023-2025, a program known for its annual trips to the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kansas, and the Midnight Sun Game in Alaska. The Waves have competed in the WBA, PSL, and CCL respectively.  As a player, Rico spent his senior season (2019) at Cal State San Marcos, where he earned the team’s Cougar Award and posted a .423 slugging percentage, a .354 on-base percentage, and threw out 33% of base stealers. He previously played two seasons at Sonoma State (2017–2018) and began his collegiate career at San Diego Mesa (2015–2016), earning All-Conference Honorable Mention both years as the team’s starting catcher. Rico holds an M.S. in Exercise Science from California Baptist University, a B.A. from CSU San Marcos, and an A.A. from San Diego Mesa College. A graduate of Scripps Ranch High School, he resides in San Diego with his wife, Ashley.