BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Renowned pitching coach and 2017 D1Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year Nate Yeskie has been named associate head coach for Texas A&M, head coach Jim Schlossnagle announced Tuesday.
“Simply stated, Nate Yeskie is widely known as one of the premier pitching coaches in the country at any level, both in professional and amateur baseball,” Scholssnagle said. “His track record speaks for itself and I have no doubt that he will not only attract outstanding pitchers who want to reach their full potential to Texas A&M, but also develop the guys currently within our program. We are so excited to have Nate, Brittney and Avery in Aggieland!”
Yeskie arrives in the Brazos Valley after two seasons on Jay Johnson’s staff at Arizona, including the 2021 College World Series campaign. In his first year with the Wildcats, Arizona showed vast improvement before COVID-19 shut down the season. The staff’s ERA dropped from 6.21 in 2019 to 3.87 while the WHIP (1.75 – 1.30) and opponent batting average (.287 – .212) were also slashed.
Prior to his stint at Arizona, Yeskie coached 11 campaigns with Oregon State with the tenure culminating in a College World Series title in 2018 and honors as D1Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017.
Yeskie has chiseled out a reputation as one of the elite pitching coaches in the country during his 16-year career. He has twice earned National Pitching Coach of the Year recognition from Collegiate Baseball and was tabbed the D1Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year in 2017. His career corps of pitchers have amassed 14+ all-conference selections, 15+ All-America honors and 10+ Freshman All-America picks.
“Nate is regarded as one of the best and most respected pitching coaches in the country at any level…,” Johnson said of Yeskie upon his arrival in Tucson. “… Nate is an exceptional communicator and teacher; he connects with his players on the highest possible level, which has led to the development of some of the best pitchers and pitching staffs in college baseball.”
From 2009-19, Oregon State earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 10 of 11 seasons, highlighted by the national championship run in 2018. Yeskie’s hurlers led the nation once and paced the Pac-12 in ERA three times. The 2017 pitching staff set a school record with a 1.93 ERA, the best in the country. Oregon State’s ERA ranked in the top 20 in the nation on six occasions and was in the top four in the Pac-12 every year. Collegiate Baseball tabbed him as Pitching Coach of the Year in 2013 and ’17.
Yeskie mentored 20 pitchers who picked up 14 all-conference honors, three Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year Awards and one Pac-12 Freshman of the Year nod. Beaver pitchers picked up 15 All-American accolades and 10 Freshman All-America selections under his tutelage.
His work helped Oregon State pitchers at the next level. While in Corvallis, the Beavers churned out 32 pitchers selected in the MLB Draft, including 17 taken in the first nine rounds and six who have reached the Major Leagues.
Yeskie began his collegiate coaching career at UNLV, his alma mater, from 2005-07. He coached eight Rebel hurlers who garnered All-Mountain West Conference or MWC All-Tournament recognition during his three seasons.
A ninth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1996, Yeskie played five years in their organization, including 47 games for the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats over three seasons. He notched 27 professional wins.
A three-year letterwinner at UNLV, Yeskie amassed a 21-12 record with 246 strikeouts in 42 games. He worked an eye-popping 144.1 innings as a sophomore, posting an 11-5 record with 147 strikeouts and nine complete games. His strikeout mark set a Rebels’ single-season record and ranked fifth nationally as he earned All-Big West First Team and All-West Region First Team.
Yeskie is married to his wife, Brittney. They have one daughter, A.J.