As the Diamond ’Dogs kick off the 2024 season, here’s a look back at last fall when Fresno State baseball legends, Aaron Judge and Coach Mike Batesole, became the 12th and 13th Bulldogs in program history to have their jerseys retired.
Judge spent three seasons with the Bulldogs from 2011 to 2013 before being drafted in the first round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees. Since then, Judge has been honored as the Rookie of the Year (2017), 3x Silver Slugger (2017, 2021, 2022), Hank Aaron Award recipient (2022) and AL MVP (2022).
“It is an incredible and humbling honor having my number retired at Fresno State, [and] getting to share this moment with Bates is something we will never forget,” said Judge. “He is an incredible coach, mentor, and friend who changed Fresno State baseball forever.”
Batesole, a two-time National Coach of the Year, guided the Diamond ’Dogs to the 2008 national championship by winning the College World Series at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha. He will join Bulldog coaching legends Pete Beiden and Bob Bennett as the only coaches in Bulldog baseball history to have their jerseys retired.
“It’s heartwarming to think of the sacrifices made by so many to get No. 44 honored in this way,” said Batesole. “Family, community, administration, alumni, boosters, coaches, and players – a piece of every one of them is going up there.”
FOOTNOTES
Photos by Cary Edmondson, Video by Video by Matt Mealer — University Marketing and Communications
