A local product and Moreau Catholic High School Hall of Famer, Bob Ralston enters his fifth season at the helm of Cal State East Bay baseball in 2015-16. He brings 23 years of coaching experience across all levels to the helm for the Pioneers.
Ralston led CSUEB to its second consecutive 30-win season in 2014. The team finished 30-18 in fifth place in the conference with a program-record 24 CCAA victories and a final ranking of No. 7 in the NCAA West Region. Six Pioneers earned All-CCAA honors, and the pitching staff finished in the top-30 in the nation in ERA (3.29), WHIP (1.25), and fewest hits allowed per game (8.36).Â
In 2013, the Pioneers had one of their best seasons ever under Ralston. His team tied the school record for victories, posting a record of 32-18. They placed fifth in the CCAA, the program's highest finish since joining the conference in 2009. Ralston's squad boasted a school record eight All-CCAA honorees and three All-West Region selections. East Bay's pitching staff ranked 13th in the nation with a 2.91 ERA, and the team appeared in the national rankings for the first time in 36 years, reaching a peak of No. 22 in March.
Ralston joined the Cal State East Bay staff in 2011 following 13 years as the Head Baseball Coach at Clayton Valley High School, where he captured seven Diablo Valley Athletic League titles and one North Coast Section championships. During his tenure, Ralston guided the Eagles to their best record (24-3), most wins (26) and best season batting average (.394) in program history. Under his watch, Clayton Valley players have set or tied eight individual program records, earning Ralston a pair of Coach of the Year awards.
Ralston previously spent four seasons as a head coach at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo from 1995-98, where he won two Sac-Joaquin Section titles. All told, he compiled a 344-95 record as a high school head coach, collecting eight league championships and a pair of section titles.
Adding to his impressive coaching résumé, Ralston also served two seasons as the head coach at Diablo Valley College from 2007-09. Ralston led the Vikings to a California Community College Athletic Association NorCal Elite Eight appearance, a top-10 ranking in the state and a 54-39 record over his two years there. A familiar face at Diablo Valley, Ralston also spent three years as an assistant coach for the Vikings from 1992-94 and got his start as the infield coach at Cal from 1990-91, helping the Bears to an NCAA Regional Final.
A former All-American at the University of Arizona, Ralston also boasts playing and coaching experience at the professional level. From 1997-99, Ralston served as manager for the Williamsport Cubs, then a single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
Taken in the sixth round as the 140th pick of the 1984 Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft, Ralston signed with the Minnesota Twins after an impressive career at Arizona. He then spent seven years playing in the minor leagues for both the Twins and Oakland Athletics.
A junior transfer to Arizona, Ralston led the Wildcats in hitting both seasons, batting .336 as a junior in 1983 and .363 as a senior in 1984. A versatile player, Ralston played both middle infield positions, earning back-to-back first-team All-Pac 10 honors. After helping guide Arizona to a pair of 20-win seasons, Ralston collected Baseball America first-team All-America honors in 1984. Prior to joining the Wildcats, Ralston played two seasons at Chabot College in Hayward.
A 1980 graduate of Moreau Catholic in Hayward, Ralston was a member of the 2003 Athletic Hall of Fame induction class. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cal State East Bay in 1988 and returned to get his master’s from CSUEB in 1992. He also earned a California State Teaching Credential from Chapman University in 1998 and has taught physical education at both the community college and high school levels for 18 years.
