Longtime Merced College head baseball coach receives huge honor
Longtime Merced College head baseball coach Chris Pedretti has been selected to the California Community College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Pedretti, who retired in 2018 after 32 years as coach of the Blue Devils, will join an elite group of coaches when he is inducted at the state tournament on Memorial Day weekend. He received the news last month.
Pedretti became head coach of Merced College in 1983. He had an all-time record of 840-620 — earning the most wins of any coach in any sport in Merced College history.
“The guys in the hall of fame are all highly successful,” Pedretti said as he was watching the Blue Devils’ scrimmage on Friday. “They’re guys I coached against and coached with, so I’m just very honored.”
Pedretti’s record of success at Merced College
The Blue Devils made the playoffs 22 times under Pedretti, winning five conference championships. He was named the Northern California Coach of the Year in 2009.
Twenty-three of his Merced College players signed professional baseball contracts, including three-time National League All-Star relief pitcher Brian Fuentes and former Major League pitcher Doug Fister, according to an article on the California Community College Baseball Coaches website.
Looking back on his career, Pedretti said he cherished the friendships he made more than anything else.
“It’s just the relationships you have with the players, all the assistant coaches I’ve had through the years,” he said. “The wins and losses come and go ... good years and bad years. It’s the relationships that really matter.”
Still a fan of Merced College baseball
After retiring as head coach in 2018, Pedretti spent years as an assistant for the program.
Pedretti previously won the 4CA Coaching Achievement Award. According to the award announcement, Pedretti graduated from Turlock High in 1975 and was the starting second-baseman of the 1976 and 1977 state champion teams at Merced College. He played at San Jose State and was team MVP in 1979.
Pedretti still lives in Merced and attends Blue Devils games regularly, he said. He enjoys being around the game.
“I’m not there every day like I used to be,” Pedretti said. “I have six grandkids now, so I spend a lot of my time enjoying them.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 2:14 PM.
