Baseball
Barbara, Don
Don Barbara
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
One of the orginial Dirtbags in 1989, Don Barbara, a member of the Long Beach State Hall of Fame, returns for his seventh year with the Dirtbags' organization, this time as the team’s second assistant and hitting coach.
2004 was another strong year for Long Beach State as the club went 40-21 and reached its second-straight Super Regional. In the off season, one of Barbara's own, former shortstop Bobby Crosby was named American League Rookie of the Year as LBSU saw a record 11 former players in Major League Baseball.
2003 saw the team reach the NCAA Super Regionals behind a 41-20 record, while winning the Big West title. In 2002, The Beach hit .323, 22nd in the nation, going 39-21, reaching the NCAA Regional Finals. Barbara is in his third year under Weathers after previously serving as an assistant coach from 1997 to 1999. In 1998, the team reached its fourth College World Series. Barbara serves as the team’s hitting and third base coach. Barbara will also instruct first basemen and outfielders, as well as deal in all aspects of recruiting.
Over his five years with the program, 41 players have been drafted, with four making the Majors, including first round pick and former Big West Player of the Year, Bobby Crosby. Another Player of the Year, Paul Day, was part of the trio of hitters on the 1998 team which re-wrote the LBSU record book.
LBSU set a school-record in 1998 with a .354 overall average, 893 hits, 68 homers and 567 RBI. Barbara’s previous school-record of 102 hits was broken by three players that year, Chuck Lopez (113 hits), Terrmel Sledge (112) and Day (110).
From 1999 to 2000, Barbara served as the Facility Operation Manager at former Head Coach Dave Snow’s All-American Baseball Academy in Cypress, CA. Barbara oversaw the daily operation of the indoor training facility, taught private hitting lessons and ran the Academy’s camps and clinics.
Before beginning his coaching career in 1997, Barbara spent six seasons (1990-96) in professional baseball. Barbara reached as high as AAA for the Red Sox, Dodgers, Brewers and Angels. In 1994, Barbara batted .352 for the Pacific Coast Champion Albuquerque Dukes.
In 1998, Barbara was voted into the Long Beach State Athletic Hall of Fame. Barbara lettered two years for the Dirtbags with a still school-best .429 average over his career. A first team All-American in 1990, Barbara cracked a then school-record 102 hits while hitting .474 with 69 runs and 27 doubles. Selected the 1990 Big West Conference Player of the Year, his .474 average in 1990, is still a league record as he was also named NCAA Division-I Hitter of the Year. One of the “original Dirtbags” Barbara played on the first College World Series team in 1989. He was drafted in 1990 in the 24th round by the then-California Angels.
Barbara spent two summers (1997, 1998) as the manager of the Long Beach Aces of the Women’s Professional Fast pitch League. Barbara coached the Anchorage Glacier Pilots of the Alaska Summer League in the summer of 1999.
Barbara and Corie have two children, Madison and McKenzie.
2004 was another strong year for Long Beach State as the club went 40-21 and reached its second-straight Super Regional. In the off season, one of Barbara's own, former shortstop Bobby Crosby was named American League Rookie of the Year as LBSU saw a record 11 former players in Major League Baseball.
2003 saw the team reach the NCAA Super Regionals behind a 41-20 record, while winning the Big West title. In 2002, The Beach hit .323, 22nd in the nation, going 39-21, reaching the NCAA Regional Finals. Barbara is in his third year under Weathers after previously serving as an assistant coach from 1997 to 1999. In 1998, the team reached its fourth College World Series. Barbara serves as the team’s hitting and third base coach. Barbara will also instruct first basemen and outfielders, as well as deal in all aspects of recruiting.
Over his five years with the program, 41 players have been drafted, with four making the Majors, including first round pick and former Big West Player of the Year, Bobby Crosby. Another Player of the Year, Paul Day, was part of the trio of hitters on the 1998 team which re-wrote the LBSU record book.
LBSU set a school-record in 1998 with a .354 overall average, 893 hits, 68 homers and 567 RBI. Barbara’s previous school-record of 102 hits was broken by three players that year, Chuck Lopez (113 hits), Terrmel Sledge (112) and Day (110).
From 1999 to 2000, Barbara served as the Facility Operation Manager at former Head Coach Dave Snow’s All-American Baseball Academy in Cypress, CA. Barbara oversaw the daily operation of the indoor training facility, taught private hitting lessons and ran the Academy’s camps and clinics.
Before beginning his coaching career in 1997, Barbara spent six seasons (1990-96) in professional baseball. Barbara reached as high as AAA for the Red Sox, Dodgers, Brewers and Angels. In 1994, Barbara batted .352 for the Pacific Coast Champion Albuquerque Dukes.
In 1998, Barbara was voted into the Long Beach State Athletic Hall of Fame. Barbara lettered two years for the Dirtbags with a still school-best .429 average over his career. A first team All-American in 1990, Barbara cracked a then school-record 102 hits while hitting .474 with 69 runs and 27 doubles. Selected the 1990 Big West Conference Player of the Year, his .474 average in 1990, is still a league record as he was also named NCAA Division-I Hitter of the Year. One of the “original Dirtbags” Barbara played on the first College World Series team in 1989. He was drafted in 1990 in the 24th round by the then-California Angels.
Barbara spent two summers (1997, 1998) as the manager of the Long Beach Aces of the Women’s Professional Fast pitch League. Barbara coached the Anchorage Glacier Pilots of the Alaska Summer League in the summer of 1999.
Barbara and Corie have two children, Madison and McKenzie.
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