Baseball

Terry Baumgartner became the 3rd head coach in program history in June of 2007, after spending one season as the Pitching Coach at Feather River College. Prior to FRC, Coach Baumgartner spent 13 years as a coach at Western Oregon University, with the last 11 of those as the head coach. Coach Baumgartner just finished his 15th season as the head coach for the Golden Eagles.

In his sixteen years as the head coach at Feather River College his teams have won: 13 Golden Valley Conference championships, 8 Regional championships, 3 Super-Regional championships, 3 California Academic Team Award winners, and he has been named the GVC Coach-of-the-Year nine times. 

His first Golden Eagle team in 2008 won the GVC championship and Regional championship as they finished the year with a 30-18 record. The Regional championship was the first for the program in five years, as they lost in the semi-finals of the super-regional. In 2009, the Golden Eagles finished with the best record in the state of California at 42-5. They won the conference and regional championship, while also advancing to the super-regional's for the second year in a row. In 2010, Coach Baumgartner's squad once again had the best record in California at 31-7 and won the GVC title for the fourth year in a row. The 2011 team finished the season with a 31-7 record and was ranked as high as #2 in the country. The Golden Eagles won the GVC championship and hosted regionals for the fifth straight season. In 2012, the Golden Eagles finished the season with a 32-8 record and a top 20 national ranking. They also won the GVC championship for the 6th straight season and won their third regional championship in five years.

Coach Baumgartner's 2013 team ended the season with an overall record of 29-14 and an appearance in the California Final Four. The second time in program history for the Golden Eagles. They won the GVC for the 7th year in a row, a 2nd consecutive regional championship, and won the school's second super regional championship, while also finishing 4th in the state and a top 25 national ranking. In 2014, the Golden Eagles finished the season with a 29-10 record and an 8th consecutive GVC title. In 2015, the Golden Eagles finished the year with a 32-12 record, a top 40 national ranking, and finished in the top 8 of California. Also they won the GVC title for the 9th year in a row, won the 5th regional championship in Coach Baumgartner's eight seasons and their 2nd super-regional championship. The 2016 squad battled through key injuries to finish the season at 24-13 and an appearance in the California State playoffs for a record 17th straight season. In 2017, the Golden Eagles finished the year with a 23-18 record and won the GVC title for the 10th time in Coach Baumgartner's 11 years in the program and also hosted the Regionals. The 2018 team finished with a 32-13 overall record and won the 11th GVC title in Coach Baumgartner's 12 seasons leading the program. The Golden Eagles won their 6th Regional championship and advanced to the Super Regionals for the 6th time in his tenure as head coach. His 2019 club finished with a 35-8 overall record as they won their 12th GVC Title in the last 13 years. The Golden Eagles also hosted a regional and made an appearance in the California State playoffs for a record 20th straight season. The 2020 team had their season cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but at the time the Golden Eagles were 14-11 and were starting to play their best baseball of the season. In 2021, the Golden Eagles were able to play a Covid shortened schedule and finished the season with a 19-9 record. His 2022 club finished with a 36-11 record as the Golden Eagles finished with a top 40 national ranking, and finished in the top 8 of California. They also won the GVC title for the 13th time in his 15 seasons as the head coach, won the 8th regional championship under his directions, and captured their 3rd Super-Regional championship in his 15 seasons. The 2023 team finished with a 25-15 overall record and qualified for the state playoffs for the 24th straight season. 

Coach Baumgartner spent 11 years as the leader of the successful Western Oregon baseball program, first directing the team at the age of 24 in 1995.  He also spent two seasons as an assistant coach (1993-94) and four more as a player (1989-92).  Baumgartner’s squads during that tenure were dominant in the Pacific Northwest.  His teams never had a losing season, leaving him with a 370-220 record at the conclusion of the 2005 season, the most wins in Western Oregon baseball history.

In 2005, the Wolves went 42-15 and finished second at the NCAA Division II west region tournament.  WOU also won its fifth straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, and had a 76-19 record in five years of GNAC action.  In 2004, the Wolves won their fourth straight conference title.  In 2003, Baumgartner directed the Wolves to its third straight conference title and first NCAA Division II post-season berth, where they traveled to Hays, Kansas for the NCAA west regionals.  In 2002, the Wolves won their second conference title in a row and first as a NCAA Division II baseball program.
 
In 2001, WOU’s final year at the NAIA level, he marched his team to a 41-20 overall mark and their first trip to the NAIA College World Series, where they finished third.  The Salem native was honored in 2001 as the NAIA Region I Coach of the Year and he was also one of five nominees for the Slats Gill Man of the Year award, which was presented to Oregon Duck football coach Mike Bellotti at the Oregon Sports Awards banquet.
 
In 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 Baumgartner was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after his squad cruised to league titles.
 
When Baumgartner took over the reins of the Western Oregon program in 1995, he was the youngest head coach of any sport in school history. He made the most of his opportunity when he led the Wolves to the Cascade Conference championship, a then-school-record 33 victories and the team's first appearance at the NAIA Far West Region tournament since 1972.  For his efforts, Baumgartner not only was named the Cascade Conference's baseball Coach of the Year, but also the Coach of the Year for all men's sports in the league.

Baumgartner's name is very familiar in baseball circles in the mid-Willamette Valley. He attended Sprague High School in Salem, where he played baseball for his father, former Olympians head coach Bill Baumgartner. Following his 1988 graduation from Sprague, the younger Baumgartner moved on to Western Oregon where he was a key member of the Wolves' pitching staff from 1989-92. One of the top small-college relief pitchers in his last three seasons, Baumgartner earned honorable mention NAIA All-District 2 honors in 1991.

Baumgartner's father is not the only other member of the family with ties to baseball or Western Oregon. Terry's mother, Diane, attended WOU and his younger sister, Susie, was one of the Wolves’ all-time softball greats, earning All-Cascade Conference honors for four consecutive years. Terry’s younger brother, Jeff spent four seasons (1996 to 99) as an outstanding middle reliever for his brother's team. Jeff was a key member of Sprague High's Class 4A state champions in 1995, helping lead his father's team to the title and he is now the head coach at Sandra Day O’Connor High School in Glendale, Arizona.
 
Terry and wife Gretchen Wehner, a former WOU All-American in track and field, are parents to son Drew (23), and to daughter Lexi (19). They reside in Quincy.

Baumgartner's Head Coaching Record (27 seasons)

School             Won       Loss           Pct
W.O.U.            370        220          .627 (11 seasons)
F.R.C.              464        179          .722 (16 seasons)

Totals              834        399          .676