After 10 successful seasons as head coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville, Russell Stockton will return to the University of Houston as an assistant baseball coach.

   Stockton was the winningest baseball coach in Texas A&M-Kingsville history. In 10 seasons he won 275 games (275-273). His 275^th win was a historic victory as the Javelinas beat top-seed and nationally ranked Abilene Christian to clinch the 2008 Lone Star Conference Tournament to advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament. 

   “What a way to go out,” said Stockton. “Winning the conference championship and beating Abilene at their place was a real highlight. The last game you won was against one of the best teams in Division II. It was fantastic. What a way to conclude my career by putting a ring on the kid’s fingers.”

   Stockton played at Houston and was an assistant coach from 1991 to 1994 for his father Bragg.

   “Things have come full circle,” said Stockton. “I started there (Houston) 17 years ago. My wife (Linda) was a three-time All-America diver there. Two of my sisters got their degrees there. It’s a great opportunity to go back home again and I’m real excited about it.”

   Stockton won two conference championships, took the Javelinas to a top-10 national ranking and earned conference coach of the year honors.

   Stockton’s teams were always known for solid pitching, an aggressive offensive approach and the ability to compete for a conference championship each season.

   In his final year as head coach, he took the Hogs into the Lone Star Conference Tournament as the #6 seed and beat Abilene Christian twice on their home field to win the conference title.

   Two Javelina pitchers earned All-Conference honors with Sam Strickland earning first team All-Lone Star Conference South Division honors and Josh Livingston landing on the second team.

   In 2007 the Javelinas advanced to the Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament and earned impressive wins over NCAA Division I Tournament participant Prairie View and nationally ranked St. Mary’s.

      Raul Trevino, Javier Molina, Chase Myrick and Clay Bockholt all earned second team All-Lone Star Conference South Division honors last year.

   Under Stockton the Javelinas posted 30-win seasons in four of the last six years including a 35-19 record in 2006, 34-20 in 2005, 31-22 in 2003 and a 32-25 mark and an LSC Championship in 2004.

   Many of Stockton’s players have earned league, regional and national recognition.

   Garrett Murdy was named the 2004 NCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year after posting a 14-1 record with 158 strikeouts in 115 innings pitched and a sparkling 1.88 earned run average.

   Chris White earned Lone Star Conference South Division Pitcher of the Year honors in 2006 after going 9-2 with a 2.10 ERA, seven complete games and 59 strikeouts in 94.1 innings of work.

  Mike Adams, who is currently a member of the San Diego Padres, was the 2000 Lone Star Conference South Division Pitcher of the Year after leading the team with a 7-6 record with 105 strikeouts in 88.1 innings and a 4.28 earned run average.

   Not all of Stockton’s success stories have been on the mound.

   Catcher Steve Yaden was the LSC South Division Player of the Year in 2005 after batting .433 with a home run and 34 runs batted in.

   Rick Dyer won the same award the previous season after batting .425 with 28 stolen bases, 17 doubles and 25 RBI.

   The Javelinas had four consecutive 30-victory seasons from 2003 through 2006, posting a combined record of 132-86 including a dominating 70-27 mark at home.
   Stockton’s 2006 squad finished the season with a 35-19 record, tied for the second most wins in school history. The Javelinas just missed out on a berth to the NCAA South Central Region Tournament, ranking seventh in the region. That team got off to an 18-2 start and achieved the highest national ranking in school history at #8.
   The 2004 season was the culmination of a long road for Stockton and the Javelinas as the team enjoyed its best season in seven years, including their second LSC South Division title and third LSC Tournament Championship in the history of the program. The Javelinas posted wins over NCAA Regional teams Incarnate Word and St. Mary’s and Stockton was named Lone Star Conference South Division Coach of the Year.
   Many thought that the 2005 season would see the Javelinas take a step back after losing eight position players from the LSC Championship team of 2004. Instead Stockton and his staff hauled in the best recruiting class in recent memory and simply reloaded. TAMUK went 34-20, barely missing out on a bid to the NCAA Regionals and posted a second place finish in the LSC South Division. The 34 wins were the most since the 1998 season and the third most in school history.
   In 2003, the Javelinas enjoyed a return to limelight as they had their best record in five years, posted 31 wins and were ranked in the NCAA Division II top-25 most of the season. The squad finished third in the always-tough Lone Star Conference South Division with a 13-10 record.
   Stockton’s players have also had the opportunity to take their skills to the next level, including Mike Adams, who pitched in the big leagues for the Milwaukee Brewers.

   Two of his pitchers were taken in the Major League Baseball Draft in a span of three years when the Houston Astros selected Garret Murdy in 2004 and pitcher Chris White was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2006 draft.

   Steve Foley, a first team All-American at Texas A&M-Kingsville, played in the Seattle Mariners farm system, Joe Luis Lopez played in the Pittsburgh Pirate system, while Bobby Lara is a professional in the Mexican League and Aaron Smith played with Shreveport Sports of the Central Professional Baseball League in 2004 and 2005.
   Prior to arriving in Kingsville, Stockton was the head coach at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, Texas. At Cedar Valley, he was named 1997 National Junior College Athletic Association Regional Coach of the Year and was an NJCAA regional director. He was selected as the 1997 Texas and New Mexico Junior College Baseball Coaches Association coach of the year and was the recipient of the Louisville Slugger Award. He was the 1997 recipient of the American Baseball Coaches Association Diamond Sports Regional Coach of the Year Award.
   His 1997 team won the Metro Athletic Conference championship and reached the NJCAA World Series where it finished second. The club posted a 35-20 record. The team was second in the conference in 1996 and third in 1995.
   He was vice president and head coach at the Bragg Stockton Skills and Drills Baseball Camps for 12 years and has been responsible for more than 14,000 players. He has also been a private instructor and has coached more than 500 players on various levels and positions.
   He was an assistant coach at the University of Houston from 1991 to 1994 before moving on to Cedar Valley.
   He lettered four years with the Cougar baseball team and was on clubs that qualified for the NCAA Division I regional playoffs twice and for the Southwest Conference tournament three times. Stockton started on the Houston infield for three years and was a relief pitcher for two seasons.
   The Javelina coach holds bachelors and master’s degrees from the University of Houston in Kinesiology.
   Stockton’s father, Bragg, is a former head baseball coach at the University of Houston.
   Stockton and his wife, Linda, have five children