Bio

Head Baseball Coach, Mendocino College

Michael Nackord enters his third season as Head Baseball Coach at Mendocino College, following two seasons of significant progress and program development. During that time, Nackord has established a culture centered on player development, academic excellence, accountability, and championship-level expectations.

During the 2026 season, the Eagles posted a 19–18 overall record and a 12–9 mark in Bay Valley Conference play, securing the program’s first winning overall and conference records since 2018. Mendocino led the Bay Valley Conference with a .964 fielding percentage, ranked second in team batting average at .299, and established itself as one of Northern California’s most fundamentally sound programs.

Under Nackord’s leadership, the Eagles have achieved significant individual and team success. The 2026 team produced 10 All-Bay Valley Conference selections, led by Dominic Joseph, a First Team All-Conference selection and CCCBCA NorCal All-Region honoree as a two-way player, and Westley Bush, who earned First Team All-Conference honors and was named the Bay Valley Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year.

Joseph and Bush were joined on the All-Conference team by Trenton Ford, who earned First Team honors after setting a Mendocino College single-season record with 34 stolen bases; Second Team selections Elijah Aguilar, Troy Rizo, Evan Needham, and Brodie Miller; and Honorable Mention selections Kooper Dockins, Matthew Anderson, and Jack Domenichelli. The 10 selections reflected the program’s depth and development across the pitching staff, lineup, and defense.

Academic achievement has remained a central focus of the program. Eight Mendocino College student-athletes—Kooper Dockins, Dominic Joseph, Carson Goss, Evan Needham, Brayden Colletto, Kent Abe, Matthew Anderson, and Jackson Sadler—earned spots on the 2026 CCCBCA Academic All-State Team, underscoring the program’s commitment to excellence both on the field and in the classroom.

Since taking over the Mendocino College baseball program, Nackord has helped more than a dozen student-athletes continue their academic and baseball careers at NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA institutions, including Chapman University, Cal State Monterey Bay, College of Idaho, Dakota Wesleyan University, Simpson University, and Whittier College. Under his leadership, Mendocino College student-athletes have earned All-Conference, CCCBCA NorCal All-Region, CCCBCA Academic All-State, and Bay Valley Conference Freshman of the Year honors. The Eagles have also established themselves as one of Northern California’s premier defensive programs.

Before joining Mendocino College, Nackord spent 17 seasons as an assistant coach at Sonoma State University under longtime head coach John Goelz. During his tenure, the Seawolves captured three CCAA Championships, won two NCAA West Regional Championships, and advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series twice. Throughout his collegiate coaching career, Nackord has helped develop professional baseball players and has mentored hundreds of student-athletes who have gone on to successful careers on and off the field.

As a player, Nackord began his collegiate career at Santa Rosa Junior College, then transferred to Sonoma State University, where he helped the Seawolves win the program’s first CCAA Championship in 1999. He finished his collegiate career with a 9–3 pitching record and signed a professional contract with the Feather River Mudcats of the Western Baseball League in 2000.

Known for his player-centered coaching philosophy, Nackord emphasizes discipline, accountability, player development, and academic success as he prepares student-athletes for opportunities at four-year universities and beyond. His programs are recognized for their fundamentally sound baseball, competitive toughness, and a commitment to developing complete student-athletes on and off the field.

In addition to coaching, Nackord is a kinesiology lecturer with more than 13 years of collegiate teaching experience. He has taught at Sonoma State University, San José State University, and Mendocino College, drawing on more than two decades of collegiate coaching experience and evidence-based principles of human performance.

A native of Sonoma County, Nackord lives in Ukiah and remains committed to building a championship-caliber baseball program and making a lasting impact on his student-athletes’ lives. He credits his mother, Sally; sister, Kristie; and niece, Norah Moon, for their unwavering support, and he honors the lasting influence of his late father, Ernie Nackord—a respected baseball coach, educator, aviator, and mentor whose passion for teaching, competition, and leadership continues to shape his coaching philosophy.