Steve Farrington, Washington State University's 12th head baseball coach and fourth in the last 70 years, set the standards high in his first year of guiding the Cougar baseball program in 1995.
Under Farrington's leadership and coaching, WSU returned to the top of the league standings, a position the Cougars usually enjoy. WSU won the 1995 Pacific-10 Conference North Championship with an 18-12 record, the school's 41st title in baseball.
League coaches recognized Farrington's accomplishments by selecting the WSU coach as the Pac-10 North Coach of the Year.
Farrington, named by WSU Athletic Director Rick Dickson as the Cougs new coach July 1, 1994, succeeded Bobo Brayton, who had guided the program for 33 years and finished his career fourth on the all-time NCAA Division I victory list with a 1,162-523-8 record.
Farrington, the 48-year-old Oregonian, brought a wealth of experience to the Cougar program, including several years as Kennewick High and Kennewick American Legion baseball coach, plus 11 years at Lower Columbia College, where he compiled a 280-149-2 record.
Farrington earned 12 varsity letters in baseball, basketball and football at Newport (Ore.) High, then spent four years at Eastern Washington University, where he played four years of varsity baseball. He also earned four football letters for the Eagles and one in basketball.
He earned his undergraduate degree in physical education and health, with minors in math and biology, in 1974, then received his master's degree from EWU in 1976.
While pursuing his graduate degree, Farrington was a baseball and football assistant coach at EWU. He was later head coach and manager of the Kennewick American Legion program, 1979-83, and spent seven years as a baseball, football and basketball coach at Kennewick High.
His list of accomplishments while at Lower Columbia College, 1983-94, include national junior college coach of the year honors in 1992 and regional conference coach of the year awards in 1984, 1990 and 1992. His clubs won three NWAACC baseball titles. During his stint at LCC, 24 players he tutored signed professional baseball contracts, with 34 players advancing to NAIA programs and 87 going on to play with NCAA schools. Farrington had a 205-71 record in league play at LCC.
In 1993, Farrington was named by both students and faculty as faculty of the year at Lower Columbia College.
The Cougar coaching staff includes assistants Ken Johnson and Russ Swan. Swan, who joined WSU in the summer of 1997, tutors the Cougar pitchers and also handles baseball camp and clinic responsibilities.
Johnson is the newest addition to the Cougar coaching staff and will help with infielders and hitters. Coach Johnson is also heading up the recruiting duties and helped in the signing of six talented players this offseason. The new assistant comes to WSU after 10 successful coaching campaigns at Walla Walla Community College in which his teams won six regional titles. The Warriors were 266-149 under Johnson.
