IRVINE, Calif. – The Orange County Riptide, a collegiate wood bat summer baseball team playing in the California Collegiate League (CCL), announced today Chris DeBoo joins the OC Riptide coaching staff. DeBoo will handle the Riptide Pitching coaching duties for the summer 2022 season.
DeBoo played college baseball at Cal State Northridge and Valparaiso University. Although 2022 will be DeBoo’s first venture into collegiate summer ball coaching, he is no stranger to playing summer ball. DeBoo was inducted into the Humboldt Crabs Summer Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, after posting a 20-1 record with a 1.68 earned run average in three summers with the Crabs.
As a professional, Deboo pitched in over 180 games in a five year pro career spanning from 2013 through 2017. While playing professionally, DeBoo pitched for the Joliet Slammers (2013), Gateway Grizzlies (2014), Windy City ThunderBolts (2015, 2017), and Southern Illinois Miners(2016). Over the course of the 180 games, DeBoo struck out 128 batters in 176 innings pitched.
“Chris spent five years pitching in Independent League baseball following his college career, OC Riptide Head Coach Tim Brown said. “In an environment where every day could be your last day, Chris understands how special the opportunity to play collegiate baseball is, particularly in the summer. Our pitchers will not only benefit from his coaching, but also gain a perspective on how to manage the pressure that comes with each pitching appearance.”
DeBoo currently coaches the pitchers at Whittier College, a Division 3 College in the Los Angeles area. Prior to coaching at Whittier, DeBoo coached High School and Travel Baseball coach for three years. DeBoo has worked as a certified sports performance trainer for the past eight years working with numerous professional and collegiate players in the off-season focusing on strength and conditioning.
“I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to coach Division 1 pitchers and also learn from a manager as experienced as Tim Brown,” Deboo said. “I am eager to develop our players and help them reach their full potential in college baseball and beyond.”
DeBoo received his BS in Business Management from Cal State Northridge and his MBA from Valparaiso. In 2017 he trained at Driveline Baseball in Seattle, WA with MLB/MiLB players and has used that experience to help develop his players. He served as the General Manager of Marucci Clubhouse in Las Vegas and also works as a regional Account Manager for StringKing Baseball in California.