Cal Poly Pomona Broncos

POMONA, Calif. – Mike Ashman, who has served as head coach for the Cal Poly Pomona baseball program for the last 15 seasons and earned All-American honors as a Bronco in 1980, has announced that he will retire from the head coaching position, effective October 1, 2010.

“By retiring at the age of 50, I’m able to spend more time with my young family and that means a great deal to me,’’ Ashman said. “The past 15 years of serving as head coach at my alma mater and working with young men has been the single, greatest joy of my professional career. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished during my time and I’ll always be a Bronco.’’

Ashman has accepted a position of Director of Baseball at EM Speed and Power Training at its new facility in Rancho Cucamonga. EM is a non-profit business that trains athletes in speed, strength, agility and specific sports training.

Ashman completes his CPP career with a 358-419-4 overall record. His teams posted seven winning seasons and nine seasons of 25 wins or more. Seventeen Broncos have been selected in Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft since he became the head coach in 1996 and several others have signed contracts with professional baseball organizations.

The Bloomington native has been a fixture at CPP since his playing days for iconic head coach John Scolinos. He played two seasons at CPP (1980-81) after transfering from San Bernardino Junior College. He earned All-American honors in 1980 and was a key player on CPP’s NCAA Division II championship squad that season. He went on to play six seasons of professional baseball in the Oakland Athletics’ and Pittsburgh Pirates’ organizations. Ashman also played for the U.S. Olympic Team in World Cup games in Japan.

“Coach Ashman has been synonymous with Cal Poly Pomona baseball for more than 30 years, first as an All-American player and for the last 15 years as our head coach and a well-regarded member of the Bronco family,” said President J. Michael Ortiz. “His countless contributions to generations of student-athletes, both on and off the field, have been invaluable to their development and each of them owes great thanks for a coach who cared deeply about each of them. I’m personally thankful for Mike’s dedication and wish him and his family great joy going forward.” 

Before becoming Cal Poly Pomona’s head coach, Ashman spent 1995 at the University of Nebraska as its hitting coach. He helped develop former Major League star Darin Erstad, who was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as the No. 1 pick in the 1995 MLB draft.

Prior to going to Nebraska, Ashman coached five seasons as an assistant coach at Riverside Community College under former Bronco assistant coach and standout player Dennis Rogers. During his time at RCC, the Tigers advanced to the California State Junior College Regionals each season and placed fourth in 1990 and 1991.

“Mike has bled green and gold from his being a student-athlete here through today and in the future,’’ said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brian Swanson. “He has been a team player in the department and within Cal Poly Pomona. It is an exciting time and new chapter in his life. I am sure he will continue to be successful as he moves forward. I thank Mike for his dedication to Cal Poly Pomona and wish him and his family the very best. I know he will still be involved with Cal Poly Pomona Athletics in the future.’’ 

Ashman will remain with the program until his date of retirement. A working plan currently in progress is to hire an interim head coach and conducting a search at the conclusion of the 2011 season.