JAMES PATRICK

On May 22nd, 2019, the Clovis High School baseball team defeated Frontier, 14-3, to win the Division I Central Section championship. It was the ninth section championship in Cougar history; it was also the last game in the coaching career of James Patrick.

The first game in the coaching career of James Patrick was in 1979. Just 21 years old, Patrick was hired as an assistant coach at Kerman High School. He was with the Lions for one season before becoming an assistant coach at San Joaquin Memorial, his alma mater (where he coached baseball and football).

A 1976 graduate of Memorial, James Patrick was a three-sport athlete for the Panthers: baseball, basketball and football. He would go on to play baseball and football for one season at Reedley College, before transferring to Fresno City College for one season where he played just baseball.

In 1983, James Patrick became the head baseball coach at Memorial. He coached the team for two seasons, winning 24 games and a section championship in his second year. In 1985, he joined the staff at Clovis High School. He was an assistant coach for three years with the Cougars, before taking over as the head coach in 1988.

Over the course of 32 years at Clovis, James Patrick reached many milestones. He coached the team to its first-ever section championship in 1995. Two years later, in 1997, he coached the team to a (mythical) national championship. And he did so again the following year, in 1998.

In 2014, Clovis was again a No. 1 team. A record of 33-5, the Cougars were Cal-Hi Sports’ State Team of the Year for the third time.

In April of 2017, James Patrick earned career win No. 709. He officially passed Mike Noakes to become the all-time winningest baseball coach in Central Section history. Two years later, Patrick would finish his career with 757 wins.

James Patrick coached one player who would go on to play in the major leagues: pitcher Ryan Cook. A 2005 graduate of Clovis High School, Cook was an MLB all-star in 2012 with the Oakland A’s.

Patrick also coached both of his sons at Clovis High School, Chris and Kevin, who each followed in his footsteps and became head baseball coaches in the TRAC.