By Cal Lutheran News(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — July 7, 2023) Marty Slimak, or “coach Slim” as he’s known on the diamond, has announced his retirement from California Lutheran University and the Kingsmen Baseball program.
After serving as an assistant for four seasons, which included back-to-back NCAA Division III College World Series appearances in 1992 and 1993, Slimak was chosen as the 10th head baseball coach at Cal Lutheran in the summer of ’93.
The period from 1994-2001 saw a run of true dominance for Slimak in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) and on the national scene. Cal Lutheran reeled off 7 SCIAC Championships in 8 seasons and was selected for the NCAA Division III tournament each year during that remarkable stretch. The Kingsmen appeared in the College World Series three times (’96, ’98, ’99), finishing as the runner-up in the ’96 season.
2002 saw the Kingsmen post yet another 30-win season, with a 6-0 victory in the season finale to achieve that mark. In 2006, Slimak helped christen George “Sparky” Anderson Field at Ullman Stadium, one of the finest small college baseball stadiums in the country. Slimak and Cal Lutheran returned to NCAA post-season play in 2009, as the first at-large selection in SCIAC baseball history, finishing with an impressive 32-11 record.
The period from 2013-2017 saw yet another run of dominant success for Slimak and the Kingsmen. The team won five straight SCIAC regular season championships, along with four SCIAC postseason tournament titles, reaching NCAA tournament play four times during that span. That era culminated with the 2017 NCAA Division III Baseball National Championship. The Kingsmen swept through the SCIAC tournament, NCAA West Regional, and College World Series, winning 10 games in a row to reach the Championship Series. After dropping the first game of a best-of-3 series, the Kingsmen stormed back to sweep the final day, reaching the pinnacle of NCAA Division III Baseball, finishing with a magical 40-11 mark. Slimak was honored as the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year.
In 2020, Slimak and the Kingsmen were off to a 16-1 start and ranked No. 1 in the Nation when the season was canceled due to COVID-19. In his final spring on the diamond in 2022, Slimak once again led the Kingsmen into the NCAA Tournament after securing his fifth SCIAC tournament title.
Slimak retires as the winningest coach in program history with a record of 793-386. His teams won 30-plus games 13 times, posting winning records in 27 seasons. He led the Kingsmen to 14 NCAA West Regional appearances, 12 SCIAC Championships, and five SCIAC Tournament Championships.
Slimak saw 13 of his players drafted by Major League Baseball. He coached three First Team ABCA All-America players, six Second Team honorees and six Third Team selections.
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MEDIA NOTE: A photo of coach Marty Slimak is attached. Credit: Logan Bury, Cal Lutheran Sports Information. For more information or additional photos, contact Ryan Jorgenson at rjorgenson@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3153.
