In his first three years as the Chico State baseball team’s head coach, Dave Taylor has continued the program’s tradition of excellence that dates back to the mid-1990’s. Since taking over in 2007, Taylor has guided the Wildcats to a combined 124-53 record and a pair of trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Taylor’s 2009 squad turned in a solid 35-21 season, boasting the top offense in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), with Adam Arakawa and Josh Meagher being named first team All-CCAA and All-West Region while earning honorable mention All-American recognition. Kevin Seaver not only set new Chico State single season batting average and on-base percentage records, but was also a Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association National Gold Glove recipient.
In 2008 Chico State posted a 42-17 record and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the nation. Taylor’s first year as Wildcats’ head coach resulted in a 47-win season in 2007 – the fourth-winningest team in the program's history.
This isn’t the first time Taylor has tasted success in a Chico State uniform, however. He helped build the Wildcat baseball program into a perennial national contender as the head assistant/pitching coach from 1997-2004. Taylor was part of Chico State’s national championships in 1997 and 1999 and an NCAA runner-up finish in 2002. In all, the ‘Cats reached the College World Series in five of Taylor’s eight seasons as an assistant at Chico State. His pitching staffs at Chico State led the CCAA in ERA in each of his last six seasons, and he mentored a trio of CCAA Pitchers of the Year and eight All-American hurlers.
That tradition of grooming top-notch pitchers has continued with Taylor’s return to Chico State. Three of Chico State's starting pitchers have been drafted since 2007, and five different Wildcat pitchers groomed by Taylor are currently pitching in professional organizations, with two – Drew Carpenter of the Philadelphia Phillies and Dale Thayer of the Tampa Bay Rays – reaching the Major Leagues.
Taylor left Chico State to become the head coach at Cal State L.A. in 2005 and immediately turned around a struggling program that had not finished above .500 in a number of seasons. The Golden Eagles went 58-39-1 in Taylor’s two seasons.
In 2006, Taylor’s squad finished 36-16-1 and reached the NCAA Championship Tournament West Regional final. They lost to Chico State in the final, but the Golden Eagles, who were ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation during the regular season, tied the school record for most conference wins and earned their first CCAA Championship Tournament berth. The team’s 30-win season was its first since 1977.
Prior to joining the Chico State coaching staff in 1997, Taylor spent three years at the University of Wyoming (1994-96). He was the program’s head coach in 1995 and 1996 and earned Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1996 after leading the Cowboys to a 36-20 mark in what had already been announced as the final year of the university’s baseball program.
Taylor boasts a 239-147-1 record in seven years as a head coach at the NCAA Division I or II level. He earned his 200th career victory on May 8, 2008 as the Wildcats beat UC San Diego 7-4 in the opening round of the CCAA Championship Tournament.
Taylor, a catcher during his playing days, played collegiately at Oxnard Community College from 1983-84 before transferring to the University of Arizona for the 1985-86 seasons. It was there he earned the first of his three national titles (the other two coming as a coach at Chico State) during the 1986 campaign.
Taylor went on to play two seasons of minor league baseball in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization. He advanced as high as double-A and earned the Brewers’ Minor League Catcher of the Year award in 1987 before retiring as a player.
Taylor began his coaching career at Cal Lutheran in 1989, and after one year as an assistant at Oxnard Community College, earned his first head-coaching job there in 1991.
He also made coaching stops at Long Beach City College, Simi Valley High School, and in the Cape Cod League before taking a position at Wyoming.
Taylor earned his bachelor’s degree in social science from Cal Lutheran in 1989 and his master’s degree in physical education from Chico State in 2004.
He and his wife, Robin, have two sons, Mark and Jack.
Matt Fonteno is in his second season as an assistant baseball coach at Chico State. Fonteno works primarily with hitters and outfielders and also serves as the program's recruiting coordinator.
Before joining Dave Taylor’s field staff, Fonteno spent three seasons as an assistant coach at UNLV. While with the Rebels, he worked primarily with the outfielders and base runners and also served as first base coach. In 2006 Fonteno helped Keith Smith win All-Mountain West Conference honors, and in 2007 Ryan Kowalski benefited from Fonteno’s instruction to be an All-MWC first team selection. Kowalski and another Rebels’ outfielder, Calvin Beamon, went on to play professionally.
Fonteno spent three years serving as an assistant coach at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif., prior to his work at UNLV. While at CLU, Fonteno’s main responsibilities included recruiting, batting instruction, outfielders, and base running. The Kingsmen finished second in their conference in each of his three years there.
In the summer of 2008, Fonteno managed the Battle Creek Bombers of the prestigious Northwoods League. It was his third foray into summer league baseball – in 2005 Fonteno was the associate head coach of the Petersburg Generals of the Coastal Plain League. Twelve players on that team were eventually drafted by Major League organizations. In the summer of 2004, he served as an assistant coach for the Highland Park Blue Sox of the Texas Collegiate League. Twelve players went on to get drafted off that team as well, including current big leaguers Hunter Pence (Houston Astros), Marc Lowe (Seattle Mariners) and Scott Richmond (Toronto Blue Jays).
Fonteno played for two seasons at the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif., from 1997-99. He earned All-Conference honors as a sophomore before transferring to York College in York, Neb. He played two seasons for York, earning All-Conference honors as a senior after leading the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference in stolen bases.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in general studies in May of 2002 from York College. Fonteno is currently working on earning his master’s degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy.
A former Chico State player and a member of the Wildcats’ 1999 National Championship team, Mike Hartman once again dons the ’Cats colors as the newest edition to the Chico State baseball coaching staff for the 2010 season.
Hartman has coached for several years in youth baseball and on the summer league circuit. For three seasons Hartman coached for the Maxim Yankees, one of the premier wood bat summer league teams in the country. He also logged six years coaching Danville Diablos youth baseball, and in 2009 coached for the Blankenship Baseball program. Hartman began his coaching career in 2002 at Kings Academy High School in Sunnyvale.
As a player, Hartman starred at Washington’s Issaquah High School, then went on to earn All-Conference honors at JC powerhouse Sacramento City College, helping the Panthers reach the California Community College state championship game in 1997. Transferring to Chico State in 1998, Hartman was named to the All-Northern California Athletic Conference team his junior year, and as a senior in ’99 he co-captained the Wildcat squad that went to Montgomery, Ala. and won it all at the Division II College World Series.
Hartman received his Bachelor of Arts degree in organizational communications from Chico State in 2000.