Baseball

Rusty Filter, the longtime associate head coach at Stanford under the legendary Mark Marquess, is in his sixth season as Santa Clara's head baseball coach.

Filter, who doubles as the Broncos pitching coach, saw the Bronco improve its team ERA and opposing batting averages in each of the first three full seasons (minus the 2020 COVID year) going from a 4.86 ERA and .277 opposing batting average in 2018 to 4.34 ERA / .247 in 2021.  During the COVID shortened 2020 season spanning 17 games, the team posted an impressive 3.50 ERA along with a .212 opposing batting average.

During the 2022 season, Cole Kitchen and Nick Sando were named to the Second Team All-WCC with Coleman Brigman, Skylar Hales, and Eamonn Lance on the honorable mention list. Kitchen finished 20th nationally with 12.57 K/9. If Sando has qualified based on innings pitched, his K/9 of 13.89 would have ranked fourth in the country and he finished the year with a team-leading 2.81 ERA. Santa Clara pitching struck out 9.5 batter per 9 innings. The Broncos finished 16-9 at home. The 16 wins were the most since 2016 and the .600 winning percentage was the best in a full season since .601 in 2012. The Broncos went 5-1 in home series.

In the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Filter led the Broncos to a 12-5 record including wins against nationally-ranked Stanford and Georgia.  Throughout the 2019-20 school year, the cumulative team GPA saw improvements and finished with a 3.289 GPA to continue the upward trend since taking over the program where his first team had a 2.894 cumulative team GPA in the fall of 2017. 

Eleven student-athletes from the 2020 team were named West Coast Conference All-Academic, the highest total for the program since at least 2005, a total that was eclipsed in 2021 when 18 student-athletes were named conference All-Academic.  

In 2018, Filter's first Broncos squad saw improvements across the board in pitching, hitting and defense while doubling their win total from the previous season (13 to 26) and nearly tripling the average home attendance (from 181 to 531).  The team ERA dropped by over 1.50 to 4.86, while the fielding percentage improved from .958 to .968 and scored 39 more runs.   

Filter, who was hired in June 2017, spent the previous eight years at Stanford where he was among the top pitching coaches in the nation.

He helped the Cardinal reach the NCAA Tournament five times, including three trips to the Super Regional, and developed 22 pitchers who were selected in the MLB Draft for Marquess who retired in 2017 as the fourth-winningest coach in NCAA Division I history.

Filter, a standout pitcher for San Diego State, has the distinction of mentoring two top overall picks in the MLB Draft.

While serving as the pitching coach for his alma mater, Stephen Strasburg was chosen first overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2009 MLB Draft. Four years later, Stanford's Mark Appel was taken No. 1 overall by the Houston Astros. Appel, a 2013 first-team All-American, finished his career atop the program's charts in career wins, strikeouts and innings pitched.

Filter also coached two other top 20 picks. Chris Reed (San Diego State) was selected No. 16 overall in 2011 by Los Angeles Dodgers and Cal Quantrill (Stanford) was picked eighth by San Diego Padres.

Before heading to Stanford for the 2010 season, Filter spent 21 years at San Diego State, the final 16 on the coaching staff. During his time as an assistant, the Aztecs had 58 pitchers drafted and signed to professional contracts under head coaches Jim Dietz and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

Under Filter's guidance, San Diego State led the Mountain West Conference in ERA in six of the league's first 10 seasons, and ranking in the top three each of those years.

Filter began his SDSU playing career (1987-90) as a catcher, but thrived on the mound. As a senior in 1990, the four-year letterman helped lead the team to the NCAAs by appearing in 37 games (tied for second on SDSU single-season list) and notching a career-best six saves. Toronto selected him in the 1990 MLB Draft, but he embarked on his coaching career the following season as assistant and junior varsity coach for the Aztecs.

In 1993 and 1994, Filter served as the pitching coach for the Fairbanks Goldpanners of the Alaska Summer League.

Filter also coached at Mission Bay High School (Calif.) from 1992-93, claiming the CIF title in 1992.

Filter graduated from San Diego State in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in physical education.

Filter and his wife, Gina, are the parents of daughters, Reilly Nicole and Emily Claire, and son, Russell Dean II.

CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• He is the only collegiate baseball coach to have two of his pitchers selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft. Mark Appel (Stanford) was the first pick in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State) was the No. 1 selection in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. Strasburg led the nation in strikeouts and ERA, and earned every major honor in 2008, including the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy

• 80 pitchers were drafted during Filter's time as an assistant coach in addition to seven Broncos selected during his tenure as the Santa Clara head coach.

• Eight Broncos have been recognized as All-West Coast Conference - UTL Joe Becht, INF Jake Brodt, RHP Steven Wilson in 2018; RHP Eric Lex in 2019; OF Mike Bowes, RHP Brandon Buckley, INF Jason Dicochea and INF Austin Reyes in 2021.    

• Coached four All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans at Stanford.

• Coached four Mountain West Pitcher of the Year honorees at San Diego State including Strasburg (2008 and 2009), Bruce Billings (2005) and Scott Shoemaker (2004)

• Under Filter's guidance, San Diego State led the Mountain West Conference in ERA in six of the league's first 10 seasons, ranking in the top three each of those years

• Assistant coach on the 2017 18U National Team staff for USA Baseball in the upcoming 2017 Tournament of Stars; also worked with USA Baseball in 2015 and 2016

• Ranks seventh on the San Diego State all-time pitching appearances list (80); posted an 8-4 career record with a 3.74 ERA and 10 saves

• Selected in the 35th round of the 1990 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT FILTER…

"Congratulations to Santa Clara University for making an outstanding baseball hire. Having coached with Rusty for the last eight seasons I know that his expertise will elevate Santa Clara baseball. He is one of the smartest and hardest working coaches in the country. I am excited for the Santa Clara Broncos community and its players to have Rusty lead the program."

Mark Marquess
Former Stanford Head Baseball Coach

"I'm excited about the future of Santa Clara baseball. Coach Filter's passion is contagious and vision for the program matches the overall direction of the athletic department. He will develop talent and promote a culture that we can all be proud of."

Randy Winn
Former Santa Clara Baseball/MLB Player