Texas Rio Grande Valley Athletics

Manny Mantrana became the Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics after serving as the head coach of the baseball program for nine seasons. He spent the previous 12 seasons at Saint Thomas University, earning induction into their Hall of Fame and having his jersey retired in 2013-14.

In his new role, Mantrana reports to the Director of Athletics. He is responsible for handling matters of departmental importance with a primary focus on special projects in relation to the UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

2017: Led team to 26 wins, marking highest win total since 2014 … Won 22 home games, the program’s winningest home record since 2000 (23-12) … Finished non-conference play 19-11, marking program’s winningest non-conference record since 2008 (21-35). It was program’s winningest non-conference record while part of a conference since 1993 (19-16) … Led team to 8-0 start for the first time since 2012 and third time in program history … Coached starter Carter Johnson to All-WAC Second Team honors and outfielder Jose Garcia to UTRGV Team Impact Award.

2016: Earned Spirit Award as voted on by UTRGV coaches and staff … Knocked off Texas State, a team receiving votes in the top 25 poll, 4-3 in 10 innings (3/22) … Beat Pac-12 opponent Washington State 3-1 (2/25) … Led team to 67 percent increase in WAC win total over previous season … Coached UTRGV Male Athlete of the Year and All-WAC Second Team Catcher Jose Garcia, as well as UTRGV Male Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Scott Mercer and UTRGV Comeback Player of the Year Austin Oakes … Garcia was the third-leading hitter in the WAC at .369.
 
2015: Led the team to an 8-3 start … Helped convert senior All-WAC Second Team selection Logan Landon from a pitcher back into an outfielder, where he hadn’t played regularly since college. Landon hit.382, third best in the WAC and 21^st in the NCAA, with an on-base percentage of .476, second best in the WAC and 29^th in the NCAA, and a slugging percentage of .623, second best in the WAC and 45^th in the NCAA. He ranked among the WAC leaders in every other offensive category as well … Utilized five freshman pitchers, had five freshmen pitchers, Johnny Gonzalez, Ryan Jackson, George Lamb, Zach Martinez, and Robert Quinonez, who combine for 196.2 innings (43.8 percent of the team total) across 71 appearances (17 starts), going 7-12 with four saves and a 4.53 ERA. The freshmen combined to strikeout 149 while walking 78 and allowing 224 hits. Jackson, who earned WAC Pitcher of the Week honors after his first start, led the Broncs with 58 strikeouts while Quinonez ranked second with 57.
 
2014: Led the team to third-straight No. 2 seed in a conference tournament, as the Broncs went 17-10 in their first season in the Western Athletic Conference … Team won each of its final seven WAC series, including taking two out of three from eventual WAC Champion Sacramento State, while completing two sweeps … Coached team to 3-1 win at No. 15 Oklahoma State (3/14) … Helped develop Sam Street into the WAC Pitcher of the Year and one of the final 18 candidates for the National Pitcher of the Year award. Street led the NCAA in complete games and ranked second in wins. He also led the WAC in every major pitching category, becoming the first triple crown winner since 2011 … Coached right fielder/catcher Alex Howe, an All-WAC First Team selection who led the Broncs in almost every offensive category and was among the WAC and NCAA leaders as well.
 
2013: Led team to best-ever finish in Great West Conference (GWC) play, going 17-10 to finish in second place … Included a program record seven road wins in GWC play … Team won 10 total road games, their highest total since 2008 (11) … Team also won their first 10 home GWC games … Overall, the team won 28 games and finished with their highest RPI (211) since 2007 (198) … Coached pitcher Dusten Knight, who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 28^th round of that year’s MLB Draft.
 
2012: Led the Broncs to the first winning season in 12 years, going 30-22 … The season included a 21-6 record at home and a 16-12 record in GWC games … The Broncs earned the numer two seed in the Great West Conference Tournament … Led team to 5-2 win at No. 8 Texas A&M (3/14) … Mantrana also coached a .400 hitter for the second time in his tenure at UTPA, as Roger Bernal hit .414, the fourth highest average in program history. In 2010, Mantrana coached Garrett Blvone to a .428 average, the second highest in program history … Coached third baseman/outfielder Angel Ibanez, who was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 28^th round of that year’s MLB Draft … Also coached pitcher Michael Zouzalik, who signed with the Texas Rangers organization over the summer.
 
2008-11: Mantrana signed a contract extension on May 24, 2011 to remain in Edinburg for at least another three years. The program has come a long way since Mantrana's arrival in late September of 2008, when the program had only twenty-one players on the roster and no coaching staff.
 
1997-2008 (Saint Thomas University): Mantrana came to the Rio Grande Valley after serving 12 seasons as head baseball coach at Saint Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. During his tenure, Mantrana quadrupled, from one to four, the program’s number of trips to the College World Series. He was the winningest coach in STU history with a 451-220-1 (.671) record, including a 1997 season that ended with a program-record 54 victories. In addition to being the head coach, Mantrana served as the hitting and pitching coach for eight of his 12 seasons. Mantrana’s squads appeared in three College World Series, and nine total postseasons. He was recognized as Southeast Coach of the Year on three occasions and also received Florida Sun Conference Coach of the Year honors three times. In 1997, Mantrana guided his first squad at STU to a Florida Sun Conference Tournament Championship, Southeast Region appearance and finished with a 44-16 record. Mantrana’s second season as head coach of the Bobcats ended in his first trip to the College World Series. He also led STU to the Southeast Region Championship and Florida Sun Conference regular season and tournament championships while going 54-14. In 1999 and 2000, Mantrana led his squad to two more Florida Sun Conference Tournament Championships and Southeast Region Tournaments. The 2000 squad made it to the World Series with a 43-14 record after winning the Super Regional Tournament as well as the regular season and tournament championships for the Florida Sun Conference. His 2007 squad earned a College World Series appearance with a 46-16-1 record and added Florida Sun Conference and Southeast Region Tournament Championships. More than 45 of Mantrana’s players have received All-Conference or All-Region accolades with 20 of those players signing professional contracts.  He also coached ten All-Americans, including five All-American scholar athletes. Additionally, approximately 95% of players who attended STU for four years earned a degree. Mantrana's players continue to perform extremely well in the classroom. Over half of the players recorded a 3.0 GPA or higher for the second straight year and his annual APR (Academic Progress Report) for student-athletes has been well above what the NCAA considers in good standing.
 
Early Coaching Career: Mantrana began his coaching career as head coach for his alma mater, Jackson High School in Miami, for four years. Mantrana then accepted an assistant coaching job at Miami-Dade Community College in 1995 under head coach Tony Simone where his responsibilities were coaching infielders and hitters while also serving as the recruiting coordinator.
 
Playing Career: Mantrana was an accomplished player for Miami-Dade College, Middle Georgia Community College and Louisiana State University. He was at Miami-Dade for one year before transferring to Middle Georgia where he helped lead his team to a second-place finish at the Junior College World Series. Mantrana was named to the JCWS All-Tournament team and was MVP of the region tournament as a second baseman. He spent the last two years of his college career at LSU under Hall of Fame coach Skip Bertman. Mantrana was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 10th round of the 1981 MLB Draft as a shortstop out of Jackson High School. Mantrana was drafted another three times during his collegiate career before signing a free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers. Mantrana also played for the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers organizations.
 
Education: Mantrana earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration from STU in 1990 and then earned his master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from STU in 1997. He has also started and is currently working toward a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Management.
 
Personal: Mantrana is married to the former Marlane Schwartz and has one daughter, Maxine.

Five Conference Titles, Nine NAIA Tournament Appearances, Three College World Series Appearances