SBCC searches for its fifth new head coach

Justine Bosio resigns from softball position after three seasons

SBCC lost its fifth head coach in the last two months when Justine Bosio announced this week that she is stepping down after three seasons at the helm of the Vaquero women’s softball program.

“I really enjoyed my time at CC and wish it could have been longer,” Bosio said. “But 2020 has impacted all of us in different ways, and sometimes hard decisions have to be made during specific seasons of life.

“I do hope my coaching career is not over, and I would love to be able to step between the lines again one day.”

SBCC has already hired new coaches for men’s basketball, women’s golf, and track and field. It’s still searching for a replacement for Jon Newton, who resigned as men’s volleyball coach on May 8. 

Director of Athletics Rocco Constantino said he’s already launched a search to find Bosio’s replacement.

“Justine was one of our best coaches and her student-athletes were lucky to have her as a coach,” he said. “She had her priorities straight. She always put academics and student development first, and she was an outstanding mentor for her students.”

Bosio was just the third head coach in the softball program’s history, compiling a win-loss record of 29-55. She assisted Paula Congleton for two seasons before replacing her as head coach for the 2018 season.

“Coaching at the college level was something that I had always dreamed of doing,” Bosio said. “Being able to coach in my hometown and bring athletes to our wonderful college and help them grow into strong young women has been a joy these past few years.

“Our incoming group of freshmen athletes, along with our returning sophomores, was going to be a force to be reckoned with, and I was sad to have to step away.”

Bosio, a 2008 graduate of Dos Pueblos High, was an All-CIF pitcher for the Chargers before becoming an NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado State Pueblo. She was a 20-game winner for Pueblo in 2010 and also set school records for career home runs (39) and RBIs (186).

She received her bachelor’s degree at CSU Pueblo in exercise science, health promotion and recreation with a minor in education. She also earned her master’s in Special Education at Northcentral University in 2016.

“It’s rare for a young coach to come in and grasp the administrative side of coaching so quickly, but Justine was just so great at that,” Constantino said. “Anything my staff or I asked of her as a coach or instructor, she did it. Anytime we needed reliable help on a project or situation, Justine was one of the first people I went to.

“Her students always represented her program and the college well, and that says a lot about the respect they have for her as a coach.”

Her final season this spring was cut short to just 16 games by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I understand that at times people have to make the best decisions for themselves, but I would really like to see Justine return to coaching one day,” Constantino said. “I just believe she has so much to give to the sport of softball and anyone she is able to coach.”

BIG WEST ADDS TWO SCHOOLS

UC San Diego and Cal State Bakersfield became official members of the Big West Conference on Wednesday, increasing league membership to 11 schools.

UCSB and Long Beach State are the conference’s two remaining charter members from its formation in June of 1968.

Bakersfield, which is moving over from the Western Athletic Conference, will become immediately eligible for championships and post-season play. 

UC San Diego will play a Big West schedule next year, but won’t be eligible for championships or post-season play until it completes its transition from Division II in the summer of 2024.

“The admittance of CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego brings tremendous excitement, enriches our geographic footprint and competitiveness, and adds new rivalries to the Big West Conference,” said Dan Butterly, whose tenure as Big West commissioner also began on Wednesday.

Bakersfield figures to be an immediate title contender in men’s basketball, having advanced to the postseason three times in the last four years. Its baseball program, meanwhile, has had 20 players selected in the MLB Draft during the last decade.

The Roadrunners also compete in women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s cross country, women’s golf, and women’s volleyball and beach volleyball.

UC San Diego had already been competing in the Big West as an associate member in men’s volleyball and women’s water polo.

Its men’s basketball team was one of the favorites to win this year’s NCAA Division II championship, having posted a win-loss record of 30-1 by the time the COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the postseason.

The Tritons also compete in women’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s volleyball.

Their overall programs has been an NCAA Division II power the last two decades. They’ve twice finished second in the national Learfield Cup standings, most recently during the 2018-19 school year.

“Now more than ever, we need to unite people. One proven way to do that is through sports,” UC San Diego chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said. “Competitors and spectators alike bond through sports unlike any other interest or activity.

“By expanding our athletics programs and joining the Big West Conference, we are nurturing this unifying power.”

DAVE LOVETON BENEFIT

A GoFundMe account has been established for Dave Loveton, the longtime sports information specialist for SBCC.

“Dave has been valiantly fighting cancer for two years and had been making incredible progress,” a statement at the GoFundMe site read. “We all know he can do it again with our support!

“Due to a recent surgery and upcoming treatments, Dave is expected to be out of work for an extended period of time. As an hourly employee, this means he cannot get paid. We started this GoFundMe to help Dave with his everyday living and medical expenses while he is out of work.”

Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/love-for-loveton-part-ii.

email: mpatton@newspress.com