Juan Villa / The Collegian
Batesole and Wiggins receive Letters of Appointment following record-setting seasons
The success of both Mike Batesole and Adrian Wiggins have come with great rewards from restoring pride in their sport, winning conference and national championships and now signing Letters of Appointment.
Both coaches signed new contract extensions to remain in the Valley and to continue their success at Fresno State.
Batesole has signed a contract extension through 2014 and Wiggins will be on contract until 2013.
“It was discussed in the Spring, so I knew it was coming,â€Â Wiggins said. “I’m very thankful for it. It extends my time here.â€Â
Batesole̢۪s new contract was signed at the same time Wiggins signed his new deal.
Coach Batesole said in a news release that he was grateful to sign the Letter of Appointment with Fresno State.
“We are excited that we have been afforded this Letter of Appointment and that we get to remain a part of the Fresno/Clovis community that has been so good to us,â€Â Batesole said. “We are invested in this university and community for the long haul.â€Â
The decision for both men to sign the letters came from Athletic Director Thomas Boeh, who also talked about their new extensions in a news release.
“Both coach Batesole and coach Wiggins have established a proven track record of broad-based success at Fresno State and are coming off seasons of historic accomplishment in their respective sports,â€Â Boeh said. “With that, it is gratifying that both will continue to lead our student-athletes in the coming years.â€Â
Batesole guided the baseball team to the university̢۪s second ever national championship by defeating the Georgia Bulldogs over the summer in Omaha, Neb.
Juan Villa / The Collegian
The Diamond ̢۪Dogs national title is the first for men̢۪s sports in the Valley.
The baseball team became the lowest seed ever to win a national championship, starting out as a No.4 seed in regional play.
Along with a national title, Batesole was also named National Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Batesole has also won three consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) regular season and tournament championships along with being crowned 2008 national champions.
Wiggins guided the Bulldogs to their best season in school history with a 22-11 record and the WAC title, a first for the women̢۪s basketball team.
The success of the basketball season resulted with Fresno State playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.
He was named WAC coach of the year for his teams̢۪ historic season. He is 71-36 in his four years at Fresno State which includes a 42-7 record at the Save Mart Center.
Wiggins believes his team̢۪s consistency led to him staying in the Valley by signing his new deal.
“I think we’ve had some consistency on the court and academically,â€Â Wiggins said. “We’ve had players graduating and we’ve had players that seem happy socially.â€Â
Wiggins is already looking to the future with the defending WAC champions this upcoming season.
“We just want to get better,â€Â Wiggins said. “This year we want to win a game in the tournament. That will be a great step for us.â€Â