Rusty Filter, the longtime associate head coach at Stanford under the legendary Mark Marquess, is in his eighth season as Santa Clara's head baseball coach during the 2025Â spring season.
RAISING THE PROGRAM
Filter has elevated the Santa Clara program to a tradition of winning not seen in decades since taking over in 2018. Under Filter's guidance, the Broncos have posted back-to-back .500-or-better seasons for the first time in 18 years, logged three consecutive seasons of 24-or-more victories for the first time in 16 years, and made the postseason in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 27 years. The Broncos’ wins total was increased or matched for four consecutive years from 2020-23, going from 12 wins in 2019 to 36 in 2023. Santa Clara also finished higher in the WCC standings every season from 2020-23, climbing from last-place in 2019 to a tie for second in 2023. Santa Clara’s number of all-WCC awards increased every year during that stretch, going from one to eight in 2023.
2024: MAINTAINING EXCELLENCE
Filter and the Broncos turned in another winning campaign in 2024, highlighted by their second consecutive postseason appearance, a trip to the WCC Tournament for the second year in a row. The Broncos earned wins over power programs Arizona State, Stanford, Utah and Washington (two out of three) and won five WCC series, including two sweeps (Pepperdine, San Francisco). Pitcher Blake Hammond earned the Broncos' first all-WCC first team award in seven years and later became one of two Broncos selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Hammond was selected in the 15th round by the Oakland Athletics after infielder Robert Hipwell was chosen in the sixth round by the San Francisco Giants. The 2024 squad had a remarkable aptitude for playing from behind. The Broncos had 13 come-from-behind wins -- half their victories on the year -- and erased a total of 23 different deficits during the season.
HISTORIC 2023 CAMPAIGN
Filter led the Broncos to a 36-20 record in 2023, going unbeaten in the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas to win the title, and booking their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in more than a quarter-century. The 2023 squad went 17-10 in WCC play to finish tied for second. It was the Broncos' most conference wins in 20 years, and their highest placing since a second-place finish in the WCC's West Division in 2004. The 36 wins on the year were the program's most since winning 41 in 1997, and marked its first 30-win campaign in 15 years.
Santa Clara didn't just "appear" in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. They came to play. The Broncos held an early lead in the tournament opener against Fayetteville Regional host Arkansas in front of more than 11,000 fans. Then the next day they exploded for nine runs to eliminate Arizona of the Pac-12 Conference, 9-3. The Broncos faced the Razorbacks again in game three, pulling within one and two runs before finally falling in the end. Eamonn Lance and Cade Pilchard were both named to the all-Fayetteville Regional team as part of the team's strong showing.
The Broncos' 2023 offense was one for the record books. Santa Clara's 72 team home runs were the most in program history, besting the previous record of 62 set in 1984. Its 103 doubles were also the most since 2014 and helped lead the team to a program-best .491 slugging percentage. Efrain Manzo was the big bat in a lineup full of them. He had the most home runs (17) since 2003, the most total bases (141) since 2010, the highest slugging percentage (.668) since 2003, and the most extra base hits (38) since 2002.
Santa Clara finished the year with 269 walks, their most since 1997. All the walks and a .298 batting average, led by 552 hits, the most since 2010, led to a .410 team on-base percentage which was the best since 2010. All the baserunners helped the team score 552 runs which was the most since 2010. On the basepaths, the Broncos stole 79 bases, their most since the 1998 season. For the first time since 2004, they had four players (Malcolm Williams 19, JonJon Berring 16, Dawson Brigman 13, and Coleman Brigman 10) reach double-digit in steals. C. Brigman became the first Bronco to reach double figures in steals and home runs (12) since Tommy Medica in 2010.
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On the pitching side of things -- Filter's strength --Â Santa Clara had a 4.57 team ERA which was good for 40th in the country and tops in the WCC. The Broncos limited walks, finishing 25th nationally and second in the conference with 3.55 BB/9 and hits, allowing 8.3 H/9 which was 24th in the nation and first in the WCC. The team's WHIP of 1.32 was 12th in the nation and tops in the WCC. Its strikeouts-to-walks ratio of 2.44 was 32nd in the country and second in the league.
All the strong play led to eight Broncos being named all-WCC. Skylar Hales, Blake Hammond, and Michael O'Hara were named to the second team with JonJon Berring, C. Brigman, Manzo, and August Souza nabbing honorable mention. Thomas Ferroggiaro was named all-freshman.
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Their good work continued in the postseason with D. Brigman being named the WCC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and joining C. Brigman, Manzo, and Brandon Gomez on the all-tournament team.
Santa Clara had two players sign professional contracts following the historic 2023 season. Hales was selected with the seventh pick of the fourth round, 108th overall, by the Texas Rangers. It was the program's highest pick since Mitch White went in the second round in 2016. Nick Sando signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds in July 2023.
EARLY SUCCESS
Filter, who doubles as the Broncos' pitching coach, saw the Broncos improve its team ERA and opposing batting averages in each of his first three full seasons (minus the 2020 COVID year) going from a 4.86 ERA and .277 opposing batting average in 2018 to 4.34 ERA / .247 in 2021. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season spanning 17 games, the team posted an impressive 3.50 ERA along with a .212 opposing batting average.
During the 2022 season, Cole Kitchen and Nick Sando were named to the Second Team all-WCC with C. Brigman, Hales, and Lance on the honorable mention list. Kitchen finished 20th nationally with 12.57 K/9. If Sando had qualified based on innings pitched, his K/9 of 13.89 would have ranked fourth in the country and he finished the year with a team-leading 2.81 ERA. Santa Clara pitching struck out 9.5 batter per 9 innings. The Broncos finished 16-9 at home. The 16 wins were the most since 2016 and the .600 winning percentage was the best in a full season since .601 in 2012. The Broncos went 5-1 in home series.
In the abbreviated 2020 campaign, Filter led the Broncos to a 12-5 record including wins against nationally-ranked Stanford and Georgia. Throughout the 2019-20 school year, the cumulative team GPA saw improvements and finished with a 3.289 GPA to continue the upward trend since taking over the program where his first team had a 2.894 cumulative team GPA in the fall of 2017.Â
Eleven student-athletes from the 2020 team were named West Coast Conference All-Academic, the highest total for the program since at least 2005, a total that was eclipsed in 2021 when 18 student-athletes were named conference All-Academic. Â
In 2018, Filter's first Broncos squad saw improvements across the board in pitching, hitting and defense while doubling their win total from the previous season (13 to 26) and nearly tripling the average home attendance (from 181 to 531). The team ERA dropped by over 1.50 to 4.86, while the fielding percentage improved from .958 to .968 and scored 39 more runs.
PRIOR TO SANTA CLARA
Filter, who was hired in June 2017, spent the previous eight years at Stanford where he was among the top pitching coaches in the nation.
He helped the Cardinal reach the NCAA Tournament five times, including three trips to the Super Regional, and developed 22 pitchers who were selected in the MLB Draft for Marquess who retired in 2017 as the fourth-winningest coach in NCAA Division I history.
Filter, a standout pitcher for San Diego State, has the distinction of mentoring two top overall picks in the MLB Draft.
While serving as the pitching coach for his alma mater, Stephen Strasburg was chosen first overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2009 MLB Draft. Four years later, Stanford's Mark Appel was taken No. 1 overall by the Houston Astros. Appel, a 2013 first-team All-American, finished his career atop the program's charts in career wins, strikeouts and innings pitched.
Filter also coached two other top 20 picks. Chris Reed (San Diego State) was selected No. 16 overall in 2011 by Los Angeles Dodgers and Cal Quantrill (Stanford) was picked eighth by San Diego Padres.
Before heading to Stanford for the 2010 season, Filter spent 21 years at San Diego State, the final 16 on the coaching staff. During his time as an assistant, the Aztecs had 58 pitchers drafted and signed to professional contracts under head coaches Jim Dietz and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.
Under Filter's guidance, San Diego State led the Mountain West Conference in ERA in six of the league's first 10 seasons, and ranking in the top three each of those years.
Filter began his SDSU playing career (1987-90) as a catcher, but thrived on the mound. As a senior in 1990, the four-year letterman helped lead the team to the NCAA Tournament by appearing in 37 games (tied for second on SDSU's single-season list) and notching a career-best six saves. Toronto selected him in the 1990 MLB Draft, but he embarked on his coaching career the following season as an assistant and junior varsity coach for the Aztecs.
In 1993 and 1994, Filter served as the pitching coach for the Fairbanks Goldpanners of the Alaska Summer League.
Filter also coached at Mission Bay (Calif.) High School from 1992-93, claiming the CIF title in 1992.
Filter graduated from San Diego State in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in physical education.
Filter and his wife, Gina, are the parents of daughters, Reilly Nicole and Emily Claire, and son, Russell Dean II.
CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Filter is the only collegiate baseball coach to have two of his pitchers selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft. Mark Appel (Stanford) was the first pick in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and Stephen Strasburg (San Diego State) was the No. 1 selection in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. Strasburg led the nation in strikeouts and ERA, and earned every major honor in 2008, including the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy
• 80 pitchers were drafted during Filter's time as an assistant coach in addition to 10 Broncos selected during his tenure as the Santa Clara head coach.
• 21 different Broncos have earned a total of 25 all-West Coast Conference awards under Filter's guidance :: UTL Joe Becht (HM), INF Jake Brodt (2nd), RHP Steven Wilson (HM) in 2018; RHP Eric Lex (HM) in 2019; OF Mike Bowes (HM), RHP Brandon Buckley (2nd), INF Jason Dicochea (2nd) and INF Austin Reyes (HM) in 2021; OF Coleman Brigman (HM), RHP Skylar Hales (HM), C Eamonn Lance (HM), RHP Cole Kitchen (2nd) and LHP Nick Sando (2nd) in 2022; JonJon Berring (HM), Coleman Brigman (HM), Thomas Ferroggiaro (Fr.), Skylar Hales (2nd), Blake Hammond (2nd), Efrain Manzo (HM), Michael O'Hara (2nd) and August Souza (HM) in 2023; and Hammond (1st), O'Hara (2nd), Max Bayles (Fr.) and Ben Cleary (Fr.) in 2024.
• Coached four All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans at Stanford.
• Coached four Mountain West Pitcher of the Year honorees at San Diego State including Strasburg (2008 and 2009), Bruce Billings (2005) and Scott Shoemaker (2004)
• Under Filter's guidance, San Diego State led the Mountain West Conference in ERA in six of the league's first 10 seasons, ranking in the top three each of those years
• Assistant coach on the 2017 18U National Team staff for USA Baseball in the upcoming 2017 Tournament of Stars; also worked with USA Baseball in 2015 and 2016
• Ranks seventh on the San Diego State all-time pitching appearances list (80); posted an 8-4 career record with a 3.74 ERA and 10 saves
• Selected in the 35th round of the 1990 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT FILTER…
"Congratulations to Santa Clara University for making an outstanding baseball hire. Having coached with Rusty for the last eight seasons I know that his expertise will elevate Santa Clara baseball. He is one of the smartest and hardest working coaches in the country. I am excited for the Santa Clara Broncos community and its players to have Rusty lead the program."
Mark Marquess
Former Stanford Head Baseball Coach
"I'm excited about the future of Santa Clara baseball. Coach Filter's passion is contagious and vision for the program matches the overall direction of the athletic department. He will develop talent and promote a culture that we can all be proud of."
Randy Winn
Former Santa Clara Baseball/MLB Player
