SALINAS — Hartnell College softball head coach Natalie Basaldua was named the 2025 Coast Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers to a 23-14 record with a .618 winning percentage.
Hartnell placed third in the Coast Conference behind West Valley and San Mateo and finished with an 11-3 conference record.
Basaldua is in her second year as Hartnell’s head coach for softball and served as an assistant coach at the college for two years.
A 2016 Gonzales High graduate, Basaldua teaches individual health and wellness and women’s health during the fall semester at Hartnell. The 26-year-old graduated from William Jessup University, where she played four years of softball.
“The strength of our program includes our chemistry, and everyone plays for each other,” Basaldua said. “Most of our girls have grown up playing with each other, so it was an easy transition. Offensively, our girls are situational hitters. They come up big when runners are on. Defensively, we’re locked in, our infield is sharp and our outfield covers a lot of ground. Most importantly, we stay positive and bounce quickly when things don’t go our way.”
Hartnell will travel to Sacramento on Friday for the opening round of the Northern California playoffs and will face Sacramento City College.
Assisting Basaldua this season were: her father, Joey Basaldua, and alumni Panther players Allison Manuel and Brooke Siaz.
