Head Baseball Coach Don Adams is the longest-tenured coach in the Western State Conference.  He has been the head coach at Ventura College since 1995, after serving for 14 years as an assistant coach to Gary Anglin with the Pirates. In his 36 plus years Coach Adams has been a part of nearly 600 wins at Ventura College as a coach.

Adams was a standout athlete during the early 1970’s having been a member of Ventura Hig School’s CIF championship team.  He earned All-Channel League and All-CIF honors for coach Fred Lloyd and the Cougars.  After his high school career he attended Ventura College and helped lead the Pirates to the 1974 WSC championship.  Adams committed only two errors at second base during his two years at VC, and was named all-WSC following his sophomore season.  Adams he earned a scholarship to Westmont College in Montecito where he twice earned NAIA All-District accolades.  He helped lead his team to a national title appearance during his senior season.

Adams immediately began his coaching career following his playing days.  Prior to his arrival at VC, he coached two years at Westmont College as the assistant coach.  During his time in Montecito, the Warriors earned a No. 1 national ranking in the NAIA. Adams moved on to spend the next year as the assistant coach at UC Santa Barbara where he would also earn his Master’s Degree in Physical Education.  In a1981 Pirate Hall of Fame coach Gary Anglin approached Adams, asking him to return to his alma mater and become the assistant coach at Ventura College.  Adams accepted the offer and spent the next 14 years helping the Pirates win the 1989 WSC title.  VC also qualified for the post-season several times during the Anglin-Adams era.  Adams was promoted to head coach in 1995 and led the Pirates to the 2006 WSC championship and several playoff appearances. In over 30 years on the bench Coach Adams has been a part of over 600 wins at VC.

Coach Adams also spent several years assisting the football team at VC, coaching wide receivers. He also spent several summers managing the Ventura County Royals club baseball team.  He was the Western State Conference Sports Information Director for 31 years.

Coach Adams’ career has spanned four decades.  He brings a vast amount of knowledge of the game of baseball, and his success as both a player and a coach is an asset to any player desiring to continue their baseball career. The number of athletes who have received four-year scholarships or gone on to professional careers during Adams’ time at Ventura College is extensive and continues to grow.  In the past five years, the transfer rate for VC players is over 80 percent.  There are currently five former Pirates playing in the minor leagues and several others playing professionally in independent leagues and overseas.