David Charles Esquer (born April 13, 1965) is an American college baseball coach. He is the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal baseball team. He previously served as head coach of the California Golden Bears baseball team from 2000–2017.

David Esquer
Esquer with Stanford in 2018
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamStanford
ConferenceACC
Record248–125 (.665)
Biographical details
Born (1965-04-13) April 13, 1965 (age 59)
Playing career
1984–1987Stanford
Position(s)Shortstop
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1991–1996Stanford (asst.)
1997–1999Pepperdine (asst.)
2000–2017California
2018–presentStanford
Head coaching record
Overall773–592–2 (.566)
TournamentsNCAA: 35–26
Accomplishments and honors
Awards

Early life and education

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Esquer attended Palma High School in Salinas, California where he played basketball, football, and baseball. Esquer was team captain and MVP of the baseball team and was named his high school's athlete of the year.[1] He attended Stanford University and was a starting shortstop for Stanford Cardinal baseball under head coach Mark Marquess and as a senior helped Stanford win the 1987 College World Series, in which he was named to the all-tournament team for hitting .350 with six RBI.[2]

Professional playing career

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After graduating from Stanford with a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in sociology in 1987, Esquer played three seasons in the minor league organizations of the Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, and Milwaukee Brewers.[3]

Coaching career

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In 1991, Esquer returned to Stanford to become an assistant coach at Stanford under Marquess. After six seasons at Stanford, from 1997 to 1999, Esquer was an assistant coach at Pepperdine handling recruiting, hitting instruction, infield coaching, and third base coach duties.[1]

 
Esquer with Cal in 2007

Beginning in the 2000 season, Esquer was hired as head baseball coach at Cal. In 18 seasons with the Golden Bears, Esquer recorded a record of 525–467–2 (.529), and led the Bears to NCAA Regionals in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2015, and was named Pacific-10 Conference coach of the year in 2001.[1] In 2011, Esquer led the Bears back to their first College World Series appearance since 1992 and was named national baseball coach of the year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.[4]

On June 16, 2017, Esquer stepped down from his position at Cal to accept the head baseball coaching position at Stanford, his alma mater.[5][6]

Head coaching record

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The following is a table of Esquer's yearly records as an NCAA head baseball coach.[7][8][9]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
California Golden Bears (Pac-10/Pac-12 Conference) (2000–2017)
2000 California 25–28 11-13 5th
2001 California 34–25 14–10 4th NCAA Regional
2002 California 29–27 11–13 5th
2003 California 28–27 10–14 7th
2004 California 25–31 9–15 T–8th
2005 California 34–23 13–11 5th
2006 California 26–28 9–15 9th
2007 California 29–26 12–12 4th
2008 California 33–21–2 12–12 5th NCAA Regional
2009 California 24–29 9–18 9th
2010 California 29–25 13–14 6th NCAA Regional
2011 California 38–23 13–13 6th College World Series
2012 California 29–25 12–18 T–8th
2013 California 23–31 10–20 T–8th
2014 California 26–27 13–17 8th
2015 California 36–21 18–12 T–3rd NCAA Regional
2016 California 32–21 14–16 T–8th
2017 California 25–29 15–15 T–5th
California: 525–467–2 (.529) 218–258 (.458)
Stanford Cardinal (Pac-12 Conference) (2018–2024)
2018 Stanford 46–12 22–8 1st NCAA Regional
2019 Stanford 45–14 22–7 2nd NCAA Super Regional
2020 Stanford 5–11 0–0 Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021 Stanford 39–17 17–10 3rd College World Series
2022 Stanford 47–18 21–9 1st College World Series
2023 Stanford 44–20 23-7 1st College World Series
2024 Stanford 22–33 11–19 8th Pac-12 Tournament
Stanford Cardinal (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2025–present)
2025 Stanford 0–0 0–0
Stanford: 248–125 (.665) 116–60 (.659)
Total: 773–592–2 (.566)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Personal life

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Esquer and his wife Lynn have two children, Gabrielle and Xavier.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "David Esquer". Stanford University. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "David Esquer". Stanford Cardinal. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "David Esquer Minor League Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
  4. ^ FitzGerald, Tom (June 21, 2011). "Cal baseball coach David Esquer wins national honor". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  5. ^ "David Esquer Steps Down As Head Baseball Coach". Cal Athletics. June 16, 2017.
  6. ^ "Welcome Home: David Esquer named Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball". Stanford Athletics. June 16, 2017.
  7. ^ "2012 Pac-12 Conference Baseball Media Guide". Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  8. ^ "2012 Pac-12 Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy Mills. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  9. ^ "2013 Pac-12 Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy Mills. Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.