After 29 seasons, Conte retiring as Vulcans coach
After 29 seasons, PennWest California University baseball coach Mike Conte is retiring.
Conte, coming off one his finest seasons as the Vulcans’ coach where they advanced to the PSAC championship game and the NCAA Division II tournament, finished his career with an 802-548-4 record, a .596 winning percentage.
The Vulcans had a regular-season school-record 38 wins, going 38-15 overall and 19-8 in the PSAC.
California has had only three coaches since its inaugural season in 1960 – the late Mitch Bailey (1960-79), the late Chuck Gismondi (1980-1996) and Conte (1997-2025).
Conte’s retirement from California is effective Aug. 11.
Nine-year assistant Joey Noro will be the Vulcans’ new head coach, effective Aug. 12.
Conte guided Cal to 20 appearances in the PSAC Tournament with championships in 2004 and 2010, plus divisional titles in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013.
“I’m so thankful for the administration for their consistent support over the years, to my incredible and devoted assistant coaches, to the student-athletes who gave amazing championship effort every year in the classroom and on the field and forever to my family for bearing with the ups and downs of the life of a coach,” Conte said in a release. “My position at Cal has given me a fulfilling career and at this time in my life I’m truly humbled and filled with tremendous gratitude.”
Dr. Karen Hjerpe said Saturday she had no indication of Conte’s retirement until recently.
“No, we had discussions with regards to when might be the time but he did not make a decision until a week-and-a-half ago,” Hjerpe said.
Hjerpe said Conte will be difficult to replace.
“He’s ethical. He’s fair. I think he’s so well-respected by his peers within the coaching community,” Hjerpe said. “I know he has great friends within the conference. But you know when he steps on the field, you’re going to have a quality team in front of you. You know they’re going to be respectful to the other team in how they play and what they say.”
Conte guided the Vulcans to at least 30 wins 11 times during his career, including four years of 35 victories or more, and was selected the PSAC West Coach of the Year nine times – the most in league baseball history. During the decade from 2004-13, the Vulcans averaged over 31 victories per season and held a .628 winning percentage with a pair of PSAC championships. Cal earned its first tournament title in two decades in 2004 with an 18-12 victory over Kutztown before capturing the conference title six years later with a 10-9 walk-off win against the Golden Bears in Johnstown.
Bruce Wald, former sports information director at Cal, said Conte is unique and ran an impeccable program.
“One thing about Mike to me is like he’s always been very polite,” Wald said. “He’s always concerned with doing the right thing.
“He thinks everything out, whether it’s coaching the team or even an interview with somebody. I know he always wanted his guys to act the right way off the field, too.
“In today’s world with all the cutbacks, Mike has done more with less now for a long time,” Wald continued. “He just goes about his business in a top- notch way. His teams were always highly competitive – really a remarkable job he’s done.”
Prior to becoming head coach, Conte served as an assistant coach to Gismondi, who set then-school records for wins and games coached.
A Brownsville native, Conte was a two-time all-conference outfielder at Virginia Tech. As a junior, he led the team with a .352 average and received an offer to play with the Baltimore Orioles. He finished his career and still ranks fifth in Virginia Tech history with 43 career homers.
Following the 1989 college season, he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 19th round and played five seasons in the A’s minor-league system before retiring.
Conte resides in California with his wife Jamie. The couple have four children – Louden, Jessie, Payton and Nina – and a grandchild. Additionally, his father Donald is a professor emeritus at Cal and Nina is a rising sophomore on the volleyball team.