McCartney wins national honor

The Saddleback baseball program had a magical ride in 2024, winning the 3C2A State Championship.  With the success comes awards, and Saddleback athletics recently found out that head coach Sommer McCartney has been named the national coach-of-the-year.

McCartney received the recognition from the American Baseball Coaches Association.  McCartney was one of 11 coaches to win the award from varying levels, and one of four community college coaches nationwide. 

McCartney guided the Bobcats to the second state title in program history, finishing 34-17 overall.  Saddleback won nine of its final 10 playoff games, knocking off four programs that were seeded equal or higher in their respective regions in the final three weeks of the season. 

McCartney is now 351-184 in his 13 seasons as the head coach, winning three Orange Empire Conference titles and one state championship. 

The 2024 ABCA/ATEC National Coaches of the Year will be honored on Friday, January 3, 2025, at the ABCA Convention in Washington, D.C., on the main clinic stage prior to the start of clinics.

The American Baseball Coaches Association was founded in 1945, and is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level.