Matt Fonteno has re-joined the UC Santa Barbara Baseball coaching staff, coach Andrew Checketts announced on Monday.
Fonteno will serve as the Gauchos’ offensive coordinator, working closely with the team’s position players.
“I’m excited to welcome back Coach Fonteno and his family to Santa Barbara,” Checketts said. “He runs an aggressive style offense that we are accustomed to, using power, speed, and the bunt game to put pressure on defenses. His offensive approach is a great blend of competitive, traditional West Coast offense with a progressive, analytical approach.”
Fonteno led the UCSB offense from 2019 to 2021, with the Gauchos going 99-33 in that span. In the 2020 and 2021 seasons, with Fonteno at the head of the offense, the Gauchos went 54-22, ranking as high as No. 13 in the country before the 2020 season was cut short, and reaching the final game of the NCAA Tucson Regional in 2021 while leading the Big West in home runs, slugging percentage, and stolen bases.
Fonteno also played a key role in the program’s recruiting efforts, helping shape the current roster. All-Big West selections Matt Ager, Aaron Parker, and Tyler Bremner were all recruited by Fonteno, as was Gaucho career home run leader Broc Mortensen.
In Fonteno’s three years at UCSB, seven Gaucho position players were selected in the MLB Draft, three earned All-America honors, and 10 were selected to All-Big West teams.
“Coach Fonteno has been a prolific recruiter during his career and contributed significantly to the success of the Gauchos, even after he left us,” Checketts said. “His fingerprints are still on our incoming recruiting class having committed a number of the players prior to leaving for USC in 2022.”
Fonteno spent one year at USC as an assistant coach, then joined Cal Poly’s staff as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for 2023. He served as an assistant coach at St. Mary’s prior to being hired at UCSB for his first tour with the Gauchos.