Todd Eastin
Todd Eastin enters his 6th season as the head baseball coach at South Mountain Community College. He has compiled a 180-116 record in his 5 years leading the Cougars. Eastin was named the ABCA Region 1 Coach of the Year and the NJCAA Western District Coach of the Year in 2005. Eastin was the pitching coach at SMCC from 1999-2003. During his 10 years at South Mountain, he has coached 48 (28 in last 6 years) professionally drafted players and 81 (44 in last 6 years) of his players have received scholarships to 4-year colleges and universities.
In four of his five seasons, Coach Eastin’s teams have been nationally ranked by the NJCAA. The Cougars highest national ranking was a 4th place finish in the 2005 JUCO World Series. In his first year at the helm, the Cougars finished with a 26 win improvement (37) over the previous season (11). A new school record for wins was set in 2005, with 48 wins eclipsing the previous mark of 43. The Cougars have posted a .300 batting average, in a wood-bat conference, and a 3.33 ERA from 2004-2008.
The facilities at SMCC have taken on a facelift since Coach Eastin began his tenure as head coach in June of 2003. In the fall of 2003, a full-size practice infield was built, just south of the main field. Immediately thereafter, a perimeter fence was erected to enclose the baseball complex. A parking lot was built east of the baseball fields, which allowed easy access into the complex. A new hitting backdrop was installed in early 2004 to help the hitter’s view. Astroturf was installed in both dugouts prior to the 2004 season. In 2004, construction was completed on two new batting tunnels, east of the practice infield. Prior to the 2005 season, the outfield fencing was replaced with new fencing and slats. In 2005, the batting cages received Astroturf. A warning track was put in surrounding the entire baseball field. In 2006, the side fencing was replaced with new material and slats. New home and visitor bullpens were built off the main field. In the fall of 2006, the backstop was replaced with a brick wall, with padding, and netting from dugout to dugout. A new infield surface was installed in the fall of 2007.
Todd Eastin was born and raised in southern California. He attended Walnut High School in Walnut, CA. He moved to Phoenix after graduating high school and became an All-Conference and All-Region catcher at South Mountain Community College in 1994 and 1995. Eastin was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1994 draft. He then went on to play at Div. 1 McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA. He graduated from McNeese with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Sociology. He returned to Phoenix in 1997, and in the fall of 1998 began serving as the pitching coach at SMCC, under head coach George Lopez. In 2002, Eastin completed an MBA degree from Arizona State University. In June of 2003, Eastin became the head baseball coach at SMCC.
Coaching Experience:
- Head Baseball Coach (SMCC), 2004-Present
- Associate Scout (Cincinnati Reds), 2001-2006
- Pitching Coach (SMCC), 1999-2003
- Head Coach (AZ Summer Collegiate League), 2000-2002
- Head Coach (Scottsdale Summer JC League), 1999