San Diego Athletics

Joshua Mickles entered his first season with San Diego in 2022 as the Toreros' Director of Player Development.

With Mickles on the USD bench, the 2022 campaign saw San Diego return to heights not seen in Alcala Park in nearly a decade. The Toreros went 37-20 (17-10 WCC), placing tied for second in the West Coast Conference’s regular-season standings before completing a rousing run through the WCC Tournament bracket at Banner Island Ballpark to take home the team’s second-ever WCC Tournament Championship.The victory advanced USD to the NCAA Corvallis Regional, where it opened the event with a signature win over perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt, beating the Commodores 3-2 before a packed crowd at Goss Stadium and a national audience watching at home on ESPNU. 

Mickles joined USD after a decorated military career as a Force Recon Marine, a post he has served in since 2010. He brings more than 10,000 hours of formal instruction in team building and stress management as a Certified Master Instructor mentoring Marines aged 18-24. While forward deployed, the 29-year-old received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation medal for leadership, and Mickles was named the 2020 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Team Leader of the Year as well as the 2021 Force Reconnaissance Team Leader of the Year.

You can follow Joshua on twitter @JoshuaMickles.