Bentley to Remain on UNM Baseball Staff
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The University of New Mexico baseball team’s head coach, Tod Brown, has continued to grow his staff with the addition of John Bentley. Bentley will be entering his fourth season with the Lobos and will serve as the program’s Director of Operations.
“We are very excited to retain John Bentley,” said head coach Tod Brown. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in baseball and the state of New Mexico as well. I look forward to working more closely with him”
As the director of operations, Bentley oversees the day-to-day operations of the UNM Baseball program, including budgets, scheduling, academics, and other off-field business. Additionally, Bentley coordinates baseball camps throughout the state of New Mexico.
A 1988 draft pick of the New York Mets. Bentley comes to UNM after coaching stints at both the high school and collegiate levels. Most recently, Bentley was an assistant baseball coach at Cal High in San Ramon, Calif. Before that, Bentley was a pitching coach and associate head coach from 2008-13 at his alma mater, New Mexico Highlands University.
While at Highlands, Bentley helped in many of the program’s operations, including but not limited to recruiting, developing practice plans, and overseeing the pitching staff and their daily routines and conditioning. In addition, Bentley also coached third base for the Cowboys. In his time at Highlands, the Cowboys made four conference tournaments from 2009-2013.
Prior to that, Bentley was at Lassen Community College in Susanville, Calif., where he served as an assistant before being promoted to the head coaching position. In 2008, Bentley was named the Golden Valley Conference Coach of the Year.
As a collegiate player, Bentley played at both Shasta Community College and Fresno State University before joining the coaching ranks for the first time at Shasta CC. Bentley earned his bachelor’s degree in human performance, and a master’s degree in human performance and sports administration from New Mexico Highlands.