On Tuesday, the San Diego State Aztecs announced their next head baseball coach.
Following his run in the College World Series this season, former Arizona Wildcats pitching coach Kevin Vance is set to become just the seventh head coach in the history of San Diego State baseball.
Vance is a San Diego native who felt honored and privileged to be coaching the Aztecs. He let that be known in a press release done by San Diego State athletics.
“This job means the world to me,” Vance said. “I’m coming back home, and I’m excited to get to work and be a part of this San Diego and San Diego State community. I plan on winning and winning fast. We’re going to coach the guys hard, and we’re going to prepare them for life. I can’t wait to get over there and get to work.”
Kevin Vance’s Success with the Arizona Wildcats
During Vance’s time in Tucson, Arizona vastly improved their pitching. The Wildcats’ team ERA dropped from 5.97 in 2023, to 4.46 in 2024. In 2025, Arizona had a team ERA sub-5.00 as well.
The Wildcats brought in some hardware during Vance’s two seasons as well. In 2024, they won the Pac-12 regular season and tournament title. They went on to win the Big 12 tournament title in 2025 and went all the way to the College World Series this past season.
San Diego State in Need of a Turn Around
In 2025, San Diego State finished the season 20-39 overall and were 14-16 in Mountain West play. As a result, they parted ways with head coach Shaun Cole after just two seasons.
The Aztecs have not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2018 and have not had a winning season since 2021.
Vance has an opportunity to bring winning baseball back to the Aztecs in his hometown of San Diego.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
