1st season
Sonoma State '09
Joe Slater, a former college and professional player, comes to USF with a mixture of experiences, ranging from coaching to playing at the international and local levels.
Slater grew up Mill Valley, Calif. before moving to Sonoma County where he attended Rancho Cotate High School where he played baseball all four years.
After a trip to the North Coast Section Championship, he moved across town to play at Sonoma State University from 2005 to 2009. Slater was part of the 2008 team that was ranked No. 1 in Division II and went 52-15, including a 23-game win streak, en route to the school’s first ever College World Series birth. The Seawolves were knocked out in the semifinals and finished third in the nation. He led the 2009 team to the Western Regional Finals while batting .346, with 13 doubles and 23 RBI and a .995 fielding percentage.
Slater was signed in 2010 to play for the Cologne Cardinals in the German Bundesliga. He played for the first two seasons and then took over as manager in his third year.
For the last two years, he has been coaching infield and hitting at the College of Marin. In those two years, the Mariners won back-to-back Bay Valley Conference championships and went to the Super Regionals for the first time in 15 years. In the second season, the Marin defense led the state in league fielding percentage at .979.
“It has been a long journey all over the world, but I am excited that I can finally settle down on the Hilltop. It is an honor to get to work for Coach Giarratano and I am going to contribute any way I can.”
