Tony Nieto enters his fifth season as the head coach of Tesoro Baseball and 21st season overall as a head coach. In Nieto’s four seasons at Tesoro, he has guided his teams to 79 wins. The 2022 Tesoro Titans will always be remembered as the most accomplished team in the 20-year history of Tesoro Baseball. They rewrote the Tesoro record books in route to a program best 28 - 8 season, two 8-game win streaks, finishing the season with 9 consecutive wins the program's first CIF Southern Section Baseball Championship, Tesoro High School's first ever CIF State Championship, and Cal-Hi Sports State Team of the Year.
The 2024 season was again an exciting one for the Titans, finishing with a 17-10 overall record. The Titans were crowned the South Coast League Champs, winning back-to-back league championships (first time in program history. The Titans entered in the CIF Division 1 playoffs against Santa Margarita HS and suffered a tough loss to them. Once again the Titans sent three of their players to play in college (Owen Faust, Fresno St; Ryan Rios, Pepperdine University; and Breckin Garrett, Cal St San Marcos).
In 2022, Coach Nieto earned his 300th win as a coach with an 8-2 win over Culver City in the CIF Playoffs; was named CIF Coach of the Year; and Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year. While at Tesoro, Nieto has coached 5 All-CIF players, a CIF Player of the Year, an All-State Player and 7 of his players have continued to play in college.
Nieto was born and raised in Southern California. He played baseball at Schurr High School in Montebello, California, where he was named to the All-Foothill League team and All-Area infielder his senior year. He then played four years at the University of Southern California and was named team captain his senior year at USC. In his four year career at USC, Nieto started at every position on the field except 2nd Base and Centerfield, until he settled in as a pitcher his senior year. In 1994, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds. He played 2 seasons in the Reds organization and one in the Baltimore Orioles organization. Nieto has also coached at the college level with Loyola Marymount University (2000 & 2001). At Loyola Marymount, he helped guide the Lions in the 2000 season to a 3rd consecutive West Coast Conference championship. The Lions finished the regular season ranked 10th in the nation, eventually losing in the western regional semi-final to host Cal St. Fullerton.
Nieto has had the honor of having five of his former players play in the major leagues: Anthony Reyes (Pitcher, Cal High Alumni 1999); Bill Traber (Pitcher, LMU Alumni 2000; played with the New York Yankees in 2008); Josh Whitesell (Pitcher/1B, LMU Alumni 2002; played with the Arizona D-Backs and the Washington Nationals in 2009); C.J. Wilson (Pitcher, LMU Alumni 2001); and Joc Pederson (Outfielder, Waimea Waves 2010, currently playing for the San Francisco Giants).
Nieto also coached for five summers in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League. During that span, his teams reached the championship game twice. In 2009, his Waimea Waves team set the league record for the most wins in league history with a 28-12 mark.
Coach Nieto was the head coach at California High School in Whittier, California for 16 years. During his time at California HS, he finished with the most career wins as baseball coach in school history with 265. His teams won 7 league championships and made 13 trips to the CIF playoffs. In 2007 & 2008, the Condors reached the Quarter Finals in consecutive seasons; and in 2014 & 2015, they reached the Semi-Finals in consecutive seasons. In 2012 & 2015, Nieto was named the Daily News Coach of the Year. Throughout Coach Nieto’s tenure at Cal High, he coached 15 All-CIF players, 5 Players of the Year, 11 Pitchers of the Year, and has also seen 54 of his former players go on to play at the college level.
In 2019 & 2020, Coach Nieto was the pitching coach at Capistrano Valley HS. In Nieto’s first season at Capo Valley, he helped guide the team to a South Coast League Championship. His pitching staff had a season ERA of 1.70. During his time at CVHS, Coach Nieto had four of his pitchers earn scholarships and a total of 7 pitchers continue on to play at the college level.
Coach Nieto graduated from USC in 1995 with his BA in Communications and has a Masters and teaching credential in Special Education. Nieto resides in Mission Viejo with his wife Veronica (Whittier College '97; USC '16 Ed.D.) and their three sons: Noah (Cal St Fullerton ’24), Dylan (Tesoro ‘21), and Aidan (Tesoro ’26).
Varsity Coach
Moy returns to the Titans for his fifth year in the program. Coach Moy returns for his second season as a varsity coach. He works with the infielders and runs our defense. Coach Moy did an excellent job his first three years in the program guiding and preparing the freshmen team to play at the next levels of Tesoro Baseball. He was born and raised in Southern California. He attended La Mirada High School where he was a 2-sport athlete. After graduation he joined the United States Navy where he served 6 ½ years in the elite US Submarine Force. He was Honorably Discharged, then attended Cerritos College where he played catcher and was named team captain of the Baseball team. He then transferred to USC where he played baseball for 2 years and help lead the Trojans to the NCAA College Baseball Regionals in Austin, Texas.
After playing, Moy coached baseball at La Mirada High School and St Mary’s High School. Coach Moy has volunteered and coached baseball in the local youth leagues for many years. Coach Moy has twin boys that played baseball and graduated from Tesoro, connecting him to Tesoro HS for many years. Coach Moy graduated from USC in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
Varsity Coach
Coach Smaker has been at Tesoro since 2006 as a Speech Pathologist. He has coached basketball at Tesoro and is currently part of the Titans football coaching staff as well. Coach Smaker is from the Bay Area (Big Fan of the Giants, Niners and Warriors). He played football and basketball at Ygnacio Valley High School and went on to play football at Chico State. From there he headed to Virginia where he received his Masters at James Madison University (home of the Fighting Dukes).
This season Coach Smaker’s will be on the Varsity staff working with the outfielders and coaching first base. He has been married for 25 years to his wife Carrie and has 3 boys; Caden (Tesoro Alum 2018, TCU graduate), Chase (Tesoro Alum 2020 now at Virginia Tech), and Curren (Tesoro ‘26). Coach Smaker is looking forward to the new challenge of coaching high school baseball and cannot wait to see the Varsity team grow and succeed. .
Varsity Coach
Coach Marty joins the Varsity staff after successful coaching stints outside of Tesoro. He will work with our catchers, hitters and be a valuable asset in the dugout during games. He began his coaching career in the early 2000’s serving as a program assistant at LB Jordan HS. From 2014-2022 he coached at Cerritos HS, he served as an assistant varsity coach, associate head coach for 3 seasons and in the fall of 2021 was named the Head Varsity Baseball Coach. His teams won 3 consecutive 605 League titles 2019-2022, having never lost a league game.
In the summer of 2023, coach Rodriguez was named head coach at LB Poly where he lead the Jackrabbits to a victory at Angel Stadium in the Halo Classic and to a 4th consecutive D2 playoff appearance.
Coach Rodriguez is a graduate of Gahr HS where he played baseball for the legendary Tom Bergeron. He has practiced Architecture for more than 2 decades. In 2023 he received his Masters in Teaching (MAT) and is currently the Engineering Pathway & IB Design Tech instructor at Sunny Hills HS in Fullerton.
Coach Rodriguez is married to his wife Cristina. They have a 5 1/2 year old son Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez. Coach also has two older children, Mariah who is a civil engineer in Indiana and Samuel who has just wrapped up his very own decorated college baseball career.
Varsity Team Manager
Wil has been in the Tesoro Baseball program over the past two years and has done a great job assisting the coaching staff with in game charts and practices. This season for his senior year, Wil has been promoted to the Varsity team and will continue to a valuable part of assisting the coaches during practices and games.
Varsity Bat Boy
Benny joins the Varsity team for his first year in the baseball program. Benny was a huge pickup through the transfer portal and brings a wealth of energy to the team.
On his spare time, Benny continues to pursue his passion of playing youth baseball. Benny is a left-handed bat with gap-to-gap power and plays the games with a high level of effort & attitude.
Jr. Varsity Head Coach
Jon Pittman joins the Tesoro Baseball program this season as the JV head coach. He brings a wealth of experience from both playing and coaching the game. A former high school baseball player at Rancho Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, California, Coach Pittman has a deep understanding of the game’s fundamentals, the importance of teamwork, and the work ethic required to succeed.
Since 2018, Coach Pittman has been dedicated to coaching and mentoring young athletes in South Orange County, offering private lessons to help youth players refine their skills and develop a strong foundation in the game. Whether it’s improving hitting, pitching, or fielding techniques, Coach Pittman tailors each session to meet the individual needs of each player, emphasizing discipline, hard work, and confidence.
Coach Pittman is committed to creating a competitive and supportive environment that fosters personal growth, team spirit, and athletic achievement.
Jr. Varsity Coach
Dylan joins the Tesoro Baseball coaching staff this season and will be helping the JV team. Last season, Dylan was a member of the Saddleback College baseball team, helping them win the California State Championship. He is a Tesoro Baseball Alumni graduating from Tesoro High School in 2021. Dylan earned his associate of arts degree from Saddleback College and will be attend a four-year university next Fall and continue to pursue playing at the college level.
Freshman Head Coach
Coach Matt joins the staff for his second season with the Titans and will lead the Freshmen team. Matthew was born in St. Joseph, Missouri and moved to the Central Valley of California during middle school. While attending Turlock High School, he was a 3-sport letter winner and saw CIF playoff action in football, basketball, and baseball. He earned Central California Conference All-Conference honors in baseball, and represented the 209 in the Area Code Games. As a left-handed pitcher, Matthew played four years of Division I baseball at the University of THE Pacific in Stockton, CA. He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Sports Management and a minor in Business. Matthew completed his teaching credential and Master’s Degree in Special Education at California State University Fullerton. This will be his 20th year in Capistrano Unified School District as an Education Specialist. He has spent many years coaching youth baseball in south Orange County. His former players have earned All-Conference Honors, All-CIF recognition, and CIF Championships at the high school level. Matt’s son Caden was a member of the Titans CIF & State Champions in 2022 and is now attending UC Santa Barbara.
Freshman Coach
Matthew Bull is thrilled to kick off his first season as part of the Tesoro Baseball coaching staff! A proud graduate of Tesoro High School’s Class of 2024, Matthew is currently attending Saddleback College, where he is pursuing a degree in Business with plans to transfer to Cal State Fullerton to further his education.
During his time at Tesoro, Matthew made his mark both on and off the field. Earning a spot on the Tesoro Baseball team as a freshman, he displayed his talent and love for the game throughout all four years of high school. From his first swing to his last inning, Matthew’s dedication and passion for baseball were unmistakable.
Now, he is bringing that same energy, determination, and ambition to the coaching staff, inspiring the next generation of Tesoro players while continuing to chase his academic and career dreams.
Tesoro Titans Baseball
Tesoro High School, 1 Tesoro Creek Rd, Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688, United States
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