Baseball

Jon Karcich, who played for Santa Clara from 2007-09, is in his sixth year as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for the Bronco baseball program.

Karcich joined the program with head coach Rusty Filter and over the past five years have filled the program with players who play “Bronco Ball”. They have focused on recruiting dynamic student- athletes with high character.

Since joining Santa Clara, two players have gone on to the Major Leagues in Penn Murfee (Mariners) and Steven Wilson (Padres). Overall, Karcich has coached 24 players that went on to pro ball with five getting to the big leagues.

During the 2022 campaign, Karcich helped Alex Lambeau tie for the fewest errors among WCC shortstops with just seven and led the league in fielding percentage. It was the second season in a row the Broncos’ primary shortstop committed only seven errors. Santa Clara had five All-WCC performers during the year in Nick Sando, Cole Kitchen, Coleman Brigman, Skylar Hales, and Eamonn Lance.

In 2021, Karcich coached three Broncos who earned All-West Coast Conference recognitions.  Shortstop Jason Dicochea was named second-team all-conference playing all 51 games at shortstop while committing just seven errors to finish with a .967 fielding percentage to go along with 21 multi-hit and 10 multi-RBI games to top the squad. Third baseman Austin Reyes hit .304 to top the team and recorded career-highs in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBIs while committing just three errors en route to being named honorable mention.  Outfielder Mike Bowes also garnered honorable mention honors after finishing with career-highs in all offensive categories across the board over 48 games. 

The 2020 season saw Santa Clara go 12-5 with wins over nationally-ranked Stanford and Georgia before an abrupt cancellation of the season due to public safety regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Broncos posted a .976 fielding percentage, the highest mark since 2012.  The infielders particularly, second baseman Dawson Brigman excelled defensively under Karcich's watch, as he did not commit an error in 75 chances as only eight infield errors were committed in 17 games.

In the last two years under Karcich, Stanford recorded some of the best defensive seasons in program history. In 2017, the Cardinal posted the No. 15 ranked fielding percentage in the nation at .980, recording just 45 errors in 58 games. In 2016, Stanford finished No. 1 in the nation with a school record fielding percentage of .983, and also finished with the fewest errors in program history (35 in 54 games).

Also at Stanford, Karcich coached three shortstops - Drew Jackson, Tommy Edman and Nico Hoerner - who reached the Major Leagues.  Jackson, a 2015 fifth-round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners, led the Cardinal with a .320 batting average as a junior; Edman, a 2016 sixth-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals, led Stanford in hits, runs, steals and triples; and Hoerner, a 2018 first-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs, was named All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive team in Karcich's last season at The Farm.  In 2017, two of Karcich's disciples were picked among the top five rounds as Quinn Brodey was selected in the third round, and two-time All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 defensive team honoree Matt Winaker was a fifth-round pick by the Mets. Karcich helped the 2017 team record its highest average, most doubles and best slugging percentage in five years. 

Dicochea is the latest player under Karcich's tutelage to join the professional ranks after signing a contract in the summer of 2021. 

Karcich arrived at Stanford after serving as an assistant coach at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Ariz.) and as head coach of the Shelter Island Bucks of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. Karcich acted as the bench and infield coach as Chandler-Gilbert went 31-25 record in the highly respected Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in 2014.

Before coaching, Karcich played three years of minor league baseball and reached Triple-A. He hit .243 with 14 home runs and 77 RBI in 225 games with the Los Angeles Angels organization.

As a Santa Clara Bronco, Karcich was a two-time All-West Coast Conference first-team honoree at Santa Clara before being drafted in the seventh round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Angels. As a freshman, Karcich started all 54 games in which he appeared, and followed that with one of the best sophomore campaigns in Santa Clara history. He led the Broncos in slugging percentage (.591), RBIs (51), home runs (12) and total bases (123), and was second on the team with a .351 batting average. He finished his career ranked No. 6 in school history in career hit-by-pitch (26), No. 6 in career doubles (48) and fifth in single-season doubles (22).

A native of Belmont, Calif., Karcich attended Serra High School and was named the San Francisco Chronicle Player of the Year as a senior in 2006. 

Karcich earned his bachelor's in communications from Santa Clara in 2013.