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| Texas Tech athletics photo |
PASADENA (Sept. 28, 2018) – The Caltech Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation has named Kevin Whitehead the next head coach of the baseball program.
"We think Kevin will make a great addition to our team," Betsy Mitchell, Director of APER, said. "His enthusiasm, love of the game and eagerness to develop exceptional young athletes in a high-academic environment did not go unnoticed and will aid him as he makes this transition. We believe he is an excellent fit for the baseball program, both in the short and long term."
Whitehead will be coming off a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at Whittier College where he helped institute a culture of competition, assisted in recruiting, provided coaching to pitchers, catchers and baserunners, and developed offseason and in-season workout programs for the pitchers and catchers. He also taught physical education courses within the department and earned his Master's of Education from Whittier in Secondary Education Mathematics, as well as his California Teaching Credential.
"Becoming the head coach of a college baseball program has been a life-long dream," Whitehead said. "I've had that dream ever since high school and it may differ for some but I always knew I wanted to turn to coaching and remain in college. It's a blessing. A lot of things needed to go right, but I'm thrilled to take over the Caltech program."
As a player, Whitehead had success at the Division I level with Texas Tech University. Whitehead caught for the Red Raiders for four years and even captained the team between 2010 and 2011. As captain, Whitehead maintained coursework and extracurricular responsibilities while traveling extensively in the spring and also facilitated communication between players and coaches. Whitehead also spent time on the Texas Tech Student Athlete Advisory Committee where he helped pass Big 12 legislation and aided with numerous service activities including an annual talent show benefitting the Special Olympics. Whitehead earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in management and general business while in Lubbock.
While Caltech will be his first taste of collegiate head coaching, Whitehead spent a season as the head coach of the Ventura County Baseball Club where he guided the team and managed player personnel over a full season. Whitehead has also spent time as the General Manager and Assistant GM of a pair of club teams in North Carolina where he took on extensive administrative duties in addition to team building. The first-year head coach will be tasked with improving a Caltech baseball team two years removed from its first SCIAC win since 1988 but is now looking to set its sights higher. With a sizeable recruiting class set to join the fold, Whitehead will have the tools to be successful from the onset.
"Everywhere you go is going to present unique challenges," Whitehead said. "I'm going to be looking for players who can make it academically while doing everything in my power to make sure they get a great experience at Caltech. This current group seems like they want more and want to be pushed, so it will be my job to make sure they can continue to improve as baseball players and young men. I'm excited for it."