STANFORD, Calif. – Having guided Stanford back to Omaha for the second consecutive season, Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer has been named ABCA West Region Coach of the Year.
Esquer, the 2022 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, guided Stanford to a 47-18 overall record and a 21-9 mark in the Pac-12 en route to an appearance in the 2022 College World Series – the 18th in program history and second under his command.
The Cardinal also claimed the Pac-12 regular season title for the second time with Esquer at the helm (2018) and won the inaugural Pac-12 tournament championship. Putting together one of the best runs of baseball in program history, Stanford strung together a 17-game win streak from May 3 to June 3 - the longest unbeaten streak since beginning the 1998 season 16-0-1 and the longest win streak since winning a program-best 18 straight from April 16 - May 24, 1996.
The Cardinal finished the year having won 22 of the last 26, 25 of 31, 28 of 35, 33 of 41, and 38 of 48 overall.
Esquer won his 700th career game during the 2022 campaign – reaching the milestone by way of a 5-4 triumph over Arizona on May 28 at the Pac-12 Tournament. Through five seasons at Stanford, Esquer has compiled a 182-72 overall record to post a .717 winning percentage – the highest percentage of any coach in Stanford baseball history. Having completed his 23rd season as a Division I head coach, Esquer carries a 707-539-2 career record.
The region coach of the year selection is the second for Esquer after winning the award in 2011 while at California. He would ultimately be named National Coach of the Year according to NCBWA that same season.
The 2022 ABCA/ATEC National Coaches of the Year in all divisions will be announced Wednesday, June 29.
