Magdaleno just completed his tenth season as the Penguins’ Head Coach, however, two of those ten seasons were spent on the outside looking in due to Covid19.
In 2025, the Penguins once again qualified for the NWAC Playoffs and finished with 21 wins with 12 victories coming in conference play. The 12 wins qualified the Penguins for a NWAC Berth.
In the NWAC Regional, the Penguins were eliminated by Umpqua and missed the NWAC Super Regionals.
“Our pitching and defense won games for us. It kept us in games, and it kept us in the playoff race. We had six and sometimes seven freshmen in the line-up and they continued to learn what college baseball is all about and they continued to compete and that’s why we are so proud of what we accomplished this year. We aren’t satisfied by any means and getting eliminated from the playoffs always stings. Many people and teams might be satisfied with making the playoffs I know that we aren’t. I am extremely proud of what my players and my coaching staff accomplished, and they deserve all the credit for a job well done. We still have to get better though,” Magdaleno said.
In eight seasons under Magdaleno, the Penguins have had eight consecutive 20-win seasons including the 26 wins in 2022, 24 wins in 2023, 26 wins in 2024, and 21 wins in 2025.
Magdaleno won his 100th game as the Clark College Head Coach against Blue Mountain 12-5 on March 21, 2022. Magdaleno now has 188 wins in eight full years as the skipper of the Clark College Baseball Program. Magdaleno moved past former Clark College Head Coach Skeet O’Connell, who was second in the Penguin record book with 151 wins in a 10-year career.
“Of course, when I retire, I want to be on top of that list (most wins) and if I didn’t want to be on top of that list then Clark College made a mistake when they hired me nine years ago. Players, coaches all compete to be the best at what they do,” Magdaleno said. “We don’t talk about wins in our program very often. We recruit and bring in student-athletes that want to be the best on and off the field and believe in giving a perfect effort on a consistent basis. We teach the fundamentals, and we instill the Penguin Process. We all follow our process, and we compete at everything we do. We compete on the field and in the classroom and we play the game the right way. Wins will follow. Degrees will follow.”
In the seven years under Magdaleno, the Penguins have had 70 players move on to the four-year level including two more NCAA Division 1: Zach Hauser, Grand Canyon University and Brock Roundy, Utah Tech.
“One of the building blocks that we wanted as part of our foundation when we took over the program eight years ago was to create a competitive atmosphere not only on the field but in the classroom as well. Our players have competed for us for the past 9 years in both areas and they have been rewarded for believing in the process”, Magdaleno said.
Coach Magdaleno is also the Manager of the Portland Pickles of the highly respected West Coast League. Magdaleno has a .580 winning percentage as the Portland Pickles Manager. In the three seasons under Magdaleno, the Pickles have a record of 92-68 and have earned two consecutive playoff berths.
Beginning his coaching career in 1983 as an assistant coach at Ventura College (CA), Magdaleno served on staff for the 1983, ’84, and ’85 seasons.
In 1986 Magdaleno was named the head coach at Temple Christian High School, where he led them to a league title that year.
Following a brief two-year hiatus from coaching, Magdaleno returned to coaching in 1989 at Santa Paula High School (CA) as their head baseball coach from 1989-1991. After leading the Cardinals to a CIF Playoff berth in 1991, Magdaleno returned to the college game taking a position at California Lutheran University as an assistant coach under Rich Hill (currently head baseball coach at University of San Diego). In three seasons, the Kingsmen were 3-time SCIAC champions, 2-time Western Regional Champions, and made two trips to the NCAA Division III World Series.
In 1995 Magdaleno returned to his roots to accept a coaching position at Ventura College where he worked with the only state “Player of the Year” in Ventura College baseball history, Brandon Knight (New York Yankees, New York Mets, and United States Olympic Team).
In 1996 Magdaleno moved to Colorado and returned to head coaching at Arvada High School. During a four-year span from 1996-1999, the program lost only 17 games, won two league championships, and earned four playoff berths. In that 4-year span, Magdaleno was named League ‘Coach of the Year’ twice.
After another year away from coaching, Magdaleno was offered and accepted the position as head coach at Centaurus High School in Colorado where would coach from 2001-2004. He again won two more league titles and earned two more league ‘Coach of the Year’ awards.
In 2005 Magdaleno served as the Manager of the Alexandria Beetles in the prestigious Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer league and considered to be among the premier destinations for college players to play wood-bat-only summer baseball.
After moving back to California in the summer of 2006, Magdaleno returned to Ventura College as an assistant coach from 2007-2010. Ventura advanced to the SoCal Regional Tournament two times in that span, winning two playoff games, the first in school history.
In 2011 the opportunity to return to his alma mater and be the head coach at Buena High School (CA) took Magdaleno back to the high school game. From 2011-2014 Magdaleno served as the head coach for the Bulldogs, winning a Channel League title and reaching four straight CIF-SS Playoffs, including a run to the quarterfinals in 2011.
For the 2014 -2015 season Coach Magdaleno returned for his fourth stint to Ventura College coaching staff, where he assisted in running the Pirates offense (strategy and coordination), coaching the catchers, and calling the in-game pitches.
Magdaleno is a graduate of Buena High School in California where he was a standout baseball player and football player as a catcher and quarterback respectively. He attended Westmont College (CA) where he played collegiately.
Coach Magdaleno is married to Jodi Magdaleno and they reside in Washougal, Washington.
