With nearly three decades of baseball experience as a coach and professional athlete — he was drafted by the New York Yankees shortly before earning a degree at UCLA — UC Davis head coach Matt Vaughn selected Mike Hankins as Aggie baseball's new Director of Player Development.
In his new role, Hankins will incorporate various methods, tools, analytics and cutting-edge resources to develop players' skills and enhance the team's performance.
"I want to thank Matt Vaughn for giving me a chance to help the players develop and reach their full potential. UC Davis is one of the best academic colleges in the nation, and has a very competitive athletics program," said Hankins.
"I look forward to helping the players, coaches, and baseball program in whatever way I can."
Hankins joins the Aggies after spending the last three years as an assistant baseball coach at American River College. In this role, he strengthened players' fielding skills and improved their swing by using various technology and skill acquisition methods. He also handled all elements of ARC's recruiting program.
He joined the staff at ARC after spending a decade at William Jessup; not only was he the head coach for three seasons, he created and built the program from scratch with help from ex-MLB manager Jerry Manuel and others — a tedious process that started in 2008 and culminated in the Warriors' first-ever game in January of 2015. Until his final season at ARC, the team did not have a field of its own.
Hankins was responsible for everything involved with running a college baseball program: recruiting players, designing strength and conditioning programs, practice and game day plans, the team's baseball camps, fundraising and community outreach program.
Prior to creating William Jessup's baseball program, he served as the head baseball coach at Lincoln High School and fueled the program's turnaround from a last-place team into a championship-caliber squad. Not only did he handle all day-to-day operations, he also designed a unique strength, conditioning and injury prevention program that increased player performance, dramatically decreased games lost due to injury and fueled the team's rapid ascension to the top of the league standings.
Hankins' successful coaching career was built on a foundation of experiences, and success, that took place when he competed at the Division I and professional levels.
At UCLA, he was a four-year letterwinner who competed in one of the toughest conferences in the nation for legendary baseball coach Gary Adams. It was Adams' tutelage, along with his dad's mentorship and training (he played with the Atlanta Braves), as well as his experience gained throughout his tenure in Westwood that led to the New York Yankees drafting him in 1990.
Throughout his five-year professional career, Hankins won a pair of championships and expanded his baseball knowledge by playing for a list of elite coaches in Tony La Russa, Ron Washington, Trey Hillman, Brian Butterfield and Rob Thomson.
Hankins' passion for coaching is not limited to the diamond; since 2006, Glen Edwards Middle School has thrived with him as one of its teachers as he also serves as the chair of the Physical Education Department. Incorporating innovative pedagogical methods and fostering learning, while meeting the needs of a diverse student body, is very satisfying for Hankins.
In addition to his bachelor's degree from UCLA and a master's degree from Emporia State University, Hankins is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is certified by Rapsodo in hitting and pitching, by OnBaseU as a hitting specialist, and is K-Vest certified.
Hankins was also certified by the International Youth Conditioning Association as a high school strength and conditioning coach, nutrition specialist, speed and agility specialist and fitness specialist.
