On the day that saw his 51st Gaucho player selected in the Major League Baseball draft, UCSB Athletics announced Monday that head baseball coach Andrew Checketts has signed a contract extension through the 2028 season.
In his nine full seasons in charge of the Gauchos, Checketts has taken teams to five NCAA tournaments and the 2016 College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
The 51 total draft picks include 2021 selections Michael McGreevy, taken 18th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals, and Rodney Boone, taken in the eighth round by the Cleveland Indians — who are already stocked with former Gauchos Shane Bieber and Kyle Nelson.
Checketts owns the highest winning percentage among all-time Gaucho coaches at 62 percent (330-200-4).
This past season UCSB finished with an overall record of 41-20, eclipsing the 40-win mark for the fourth time in the last six seasons. Over the past three years, the Gauchos have gone 99-33.
The Gauchos finished the 2021 season ranked No. 23 by Collegiate Baseball in the publication’s final ranking. The team has finished five of their last seven seasons ranked in a national baseball publication’s final top 25 ranking.
In addition to the on-field success, Checketts’ teams compete in the classroom as well, posting a team cumulative GPA of 3.15 during the 20-21 academic year.