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Jason Verdugo
Field Manager and Director of Baseball Operations
Email: jverdugo@evansvilleotters.com
The 2008 season will be Tucson, Arizona native Jason Verdugo's first year as the Otters manager.
Verdugo, 33, has served as head baseball coach of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., since 2002,
leading the Pipers to a 100-96 overall record. Verdugo owns the three highest win totals for a season by a coach in Hamline baseball history, posting 26 wins in 2006, 22 wins in 2007, and 21 wins in 2003.
His teams have tied or broken 20 school records, and his players have received 20 academic All-Conference, two All-American, four All-Region and ten All-MIAC first team citations. Verdugo's teams have beaten eight nationally ranked opponents.
Verdugo has also served as the pitching coach for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association since the 2005 season. The Saints have won their division all three years Jason has been there, posting a 166-121 record.
Verdugo attended Canyon del Oro High School. He was a freshman pitcher for the Arizona State squad that finished third in the 1994 College World Series. Former Otter standout Dustin Delucchi played with Verdugo at ASU, as did current Evansville resident Robbie Kent. On the gridiron, he was a teammate of the late Pat Tillman and a backup to Heisman trophy finalist and future NFL quarterback Jake Plummer.
As a junior, Verdugo was selected by the Anaheim Angels in the sixth round of the 1996 amateur draft, but he opted to return to Arizona State to earn his B.A. degree in history. Verdugo was 2-1 in 13 games as a senior in 2007, helping ASU reach the championship game of the NCAA regional. Chosen by San Francisco in the 12th round of the 1997 amateur draft, Verdugo pitched four years in the Giants' organization, including stints at Triple-A Fresno in 1999 and 2000.
Four years after retiring, Verdugo joined the St. Paul Saints to help them win the 2004 Northern League championship with a 5-5 record in 17 games. He finished second in the Northern League with four complete games and threw a complete game shutout in game four of the championship series.
Verdugo and his wife, Tanya, have one son, Justis (7). The Verdugos, with the help of Jake Plummer, established the TATE (Tackling Autism Through Education) Foundation in 2003 to help mentor and educate families of children with autism. Tate is the middle name of Justis, who was diagnosed with autism in 2002.
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