Long-time Tustin baseball coach Charles Chatman heading to Iowa for new job after season

Tustin High baseball coach Charles Chatman has a meeting with his players in 2019. (File photo courtesy Tustin baseball)

Long-time Tustin High School baseball coach Charles Chatman said Wednesday he has accepted a full-time counseling and coaching job at a high school in Mount Vernon, Iowa which will allow him to pursue his passion in two fields.

Chatman, who has been the head coach at Tustin for nine years and a campus supervisor, will coach the Tillers through the end of the season. His last regular season game will be Wednesday, May 26 at 6 p.m. against Kennedy at the Orange County Great Park and it will be Tustin’s senior night. Chatman said he is hoping his squad (9-12, 1-4) can finish strong and earn a CIF playoff berth.

Chatman said he will able to be a full-time counselor and head baseball coach for Mount Vernon Community High School. High school baseball is played in the summer in Iowa, so Chatman will be able to handle both duties.

“This opportunity is presenting me the ability to do two things I’m really passionate about,” Chatman said.

Chatman said he informed his Tustin players of his decision before last Friday’s game with Valencia.

“I struggled with when the best time to tell the boys and families was, but once I knew for sure that my tenure was over, I informed them last Friday before the Valencia game,” he said. “The response was mixed but we talk often about choices and opportunities and in the end they know I love them and this doesn’t change that. We have a big game Thursday vs. Crean (Lutheran) and a huge series next week vs. Cypress.

“We still control our own destiny and that is our focus for now. But however it ends, I will always cherish the years I spent at Tustin HS and in this baseball community. Best high school baseball in the world is played here and I am blessed to have been a part of this special group of people.”

Chatman said the opportunity in Iowa was perfect for him and his family was also supportive of moving together to Iowa.

“Over the pandemic, I decided to take a real run at my Masters in counseling and as I have been navigating my way through the difficulties of 2020/21 I have also been taking a full load at Concordia University (where I did my undergrad),” he said.

“I was able to manage my observation hours during hybrid and distance learning, without many issues. But now that I am moving to my intervention hours, coaching in California is impossible because of the crossover during the workday. So, under the circumstances, my time at Tustin was coming to an end this year or next and our players and admin had that understanding coming into this season.

“Distance learning allowed my son (Tre) to be a little more active with the showcase tournament scene and his travel team (So Cal Birds) played in the Arizona Fall Classic in October, where the coaching staff at Cornell College (a Division III team in Iowa) sparked interest.

“They recruited him through the holidays and with a lot of faith and prayer he committed in February. While he was being recruited by the college, my wife, younger son and I fell in love with the community. The people were genuine and the community was super family centric, something we are really looking forward to providing for our younger son.”

Chatman then did additional research on Iowa and learned that high school baseball is played in the summer.

“It  is one of the few states that I could be a full time counselor and a head baseball coach,” he said. “My wife and I prayed a lot, then talked it over, and finally discussed it with our oldest (we wanted him to be comfortable with us being in the same community that he was moving away from us to go) and it turned out that Mount Vernon Community HS was in need of a head baseball coach, I sent my resume and went through the interview process and this summer, the Chatman family will be relocating to Iowa. I will continue my observation hours in a paid internship, while being the active head baseball and eighth grade football coach, and my wife will work at the elementary school as a Pre-K Para. God is good.”

Chatman said a counseling-coaching job wouldn’t be possible in California because of conflicting hours for the two jobs.

Chatman said he is proud of what he’s accomplished with the Tillers.

“I have been at Tustin for nine years and I remember talking with Mike Cosgrove when I accepted the job and asked him to anchor my staff,” Chatman said. “We said we wanted to bring: pride back to Tustin baseball, we wanted to be relevant, we wanted people to view us as another one of those great baseball schools in Orange County, and most importantly we wanted to send our guys to college. I believe we have checked all those boxes and I will leave Tustin better than when I found it.”

Chatman was highly respected at Tustin, in Orange County and throughout the baseball communuty. In October 2020, he received the Orange County Coach of Character Award from the Orange County Athletic Directors Association.,

“What makes Charles great is his passion for the game and the fact that one of his highest priorities is having his players leave his program as accomplished young men,” Tustin Athletic Director Thomas Giebe said at the time.

“The athletes learn how to be accountable for their actions, to persevere, and to be in service to others.  We couldn’t ask for a better man to lead our baseball program.”

“It is his connection to the past and his desire to make Tustin great that makes him so special for THS,” added former Tustin and Foothill coach Vince Brown, now athletic director at Orange Lutheran. “I’ve seen for years how hard he works for his players and the pride he has in Tustin.”

When he leaves Tustin, Chatman said he will begin coaching the Iowa team this summer. The season starts in June and runs through July.

“It’s a win-win all the way around for me,” Chatman said. “It’s tough to leave Tustin. I’ve been here for a little while and we’ve done some good things in the time I’ve been here. This is a difficult decision, but ultimately it’s the best decision for me and my family for sure.”

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com