BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Cal State Bakersfield Baseball Head Coach Jeremy Beard has announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches, Michael Newstrom and Brady Farrington. 

Michael Newstrom 

Michael Newstrom began his coaching career spending two seasons with the Washington State Cougars as a Student Assistant under Brian Green and Anthony Claggett. Newstrom worked with the pitching staff on an individual basis helping Student Athletes develop routines, mechanics, and recovery/training. While in this position, responsibilities also included scouting and analytics, along with being a bullpen coach and gaining experience as the Director of Operations and Camp Coordination. In the two years Newstrom spent at WSU, he helped Cougar pitching staff reset their single season strikeout record twice. In 2022, the staff threw 473 strikeouts, the next year they were able to reset that feat throwing 518 strikeouts.  

In that span of time at WSU as a Student Assistant, Newstrom also spent time coaching in the Expedition League in 2021, and Northwoods League in 2022 and 2023. In 2021, he served as a Pitching Coach and First Coach for the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs working with pitchers developing mechanics, pitch design, mentality. He helped them to a 47-18 record, producing four Expedition League All-Stars, and winning the Expedition League Championship.  

In 2022 and 2023, Newstrom was with the Wilmar Stingers, managing the health and development of the pitching staff. He built structured programs for pitchers and established individual recovery plans for each pitcher and aided in the weight room/nutrition plans for pitchers. The Stingers finished the 2022 season with a 48-20 record, and a 51-16 record in 2023. In two seasons with the Stingers, Newstrom helped produce a Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year, winning the First and Second Half Great Plains West, and helped six players move onto the Cape Cod League.  

Newstrom pitched with WSU as well, from 2018-2021. In his time there the lefty spent four years as a relief pitcher with experience as a starter. He set the single season appearance school record (34), and ranks 8th all time in appearances for the Cougars (76). 

Head Coach Jeremy Beard on the addition of Newstrom, "Coach Newstrom is an excellent up and coming pitching coach. He's fresh off a playing career and jumped right into a coaching career. He offers a strong knowledge base, is highly organized, and handles himself with professionalism. We had a strong fall with pitcher development and Coach Newstrom was part of it every step of the way. I am confident he will be a strong addition to our coaching staff."   

Brady Farrington 

Brady Farrington started his coaching career in 2019, spending four years with Valley Vista High School. The Covid years were spent rebuilding the program, in his last year with Valley Vista, the program finished with an 11-7 record. In his time, he focused on development of fundamentals and teaching to play the game the right way. 

Prior to coaching, Farrington enjoyed a playing career from 2007-2011. From 2007-2009 he played under Coach Beard at Columbia Basin Community College, winning an NWAACC Gold Glove. He then moved onto William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri for the next two years (NAIA- 2009-2011). 

"Coach Farrington brings high energy to the field every day out. His knowledge and ability to help grow our hitters and infielders will be an asset to our player development system. He understands our system and provides a steady approach to reaching our players' needs. Brady has been mentored by top tier baseball people and that will prove to be an important piece to our team success," said Coach Beard.