One of the toughest fraternity of coaches to be accepted into, Nate Fernley has officially been hired as the new head coach of the Cerritos College baseball program. Following in the footsteps of such acclaimed former Falcon head coaches such as Wally Kincaid, George Horton, Gordie Douglas and Ken Gaylord, Fernley has spent the last 16 years as the head coach at South Coast Conference school El Camino College.

In his time leading the Warriors, Fernley compiled a 443-217 record, which included winning the last three completed South Coast Conference seasons, as well as a pair of 3C2A State Tournament appearances. They reach the championship game in 2019. He has also been named the conference's Coach of the Year the last three completed seasons and led his team to seven 30-win seasons.

"Growing up in the area, I had a great admiration for the great tradition that Cerritos baseball holds," said Fernley, who was also named the El Camino College Health Educator of the Year in 2023. "You cannot play baseball in this area and not hear about (Wally) Kincaid, (George) Horton, (Dave) Serrano and all the great players that have come through here. Nine state championships, the most of any California Community College have been earned here. The significance of being the caretaker of this program and all who have been before is a great honor and a tremendous responsibility. I am grateful for this opportunity and will work hard every day to make the Birds proud."

A product of Long Beach Millikan High School, Fernley was a third baseman until transferring to Long Beach City College, where they converted him into a pitcher. He earned All-American, All-Southern California and All-South Coast Conference honors as a sophomore and then carried on that success to Brigham Young University. With the Cougars, Fernley posted an NCAA leading 16-3 record his senior season and was named 2nd Team All-American and 1st Team All-Mountain West Conference.

 

After a three-year stint in the minor leagues, Fernley was hired as an assistant coach at Long Beach City College before being hired as the head coach at El Camino. In his time with the Warriors, Fernley posted a 26-24 record against the Falcons, with 21 of those wins coming in the last 10 seasons.

 

He feels his familiarity with the Cerritos program and recruiting area will allow him to hit the ground running.

 

"I'm extremely familiar with the South Coast Conference", stated Fernley. "I played in it. I've coached in it as an assistant and a head coach. It's a highly competitive conference that is filled with great coaches and players. Each series is a battle. I'm excited to continue to be in this conference and feel that our coaching staff is prepared to help our players be ready for what is ahead in conference play."

Coming to a program that has seen 33 players make it to the major leagues, while hundreds have played at all levels of the minor leagues, doesn't intimidate Fernley. There are nine former Falcon players who have won a World Series, the most recent being Atlanta Braves Assistant Hitting Coach Bobby Magallanes in 2021. I fact, it fuels his fire to help return the program to its storied days.

"My goals as a coach are to do everything possible to ensure our players are prepared," continued Fernley. "Prepared for the field, the classroom and as people. If they are prepared, then they will be successful. The hope is that if each member of the team is dedicated to prepare themselves the right way, we will be in position to compete for a State Championship. I love the journey each season brings. It's exciting and rewarding to see what each group can become. I'm fortunate to have that chance and I won't take a day of the opportunity we have here for granted."