Ohlone College’s Remarkable Mike Curran

by • Featured

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

FREMONT, Calif. — One of the most successful and fascinating college head coaches in the nation is Mike Curran of Ohlone College.

This incredible skipper led the Renegades to a 36-game winning streak this season in California Community College baseball and 40-3 overall record.

Curran has discovered that when his offense performs 4-5 specific jobs in games, his program has won its last 140 straight contests.

He also explains keys that have allowed his defense to be ranked No. 1 in California for 5 of the last 9 years and what his pitchers strive for in the quest for success.

If that wasn’t enough, he explains the 7 pillars of culture his program demands of players which is another integral part of his system.

Now in his ninth season with Ohlone, he has led the Renegades to a 269-71 record.

Curran has led Ohlone to 5 conference championships, 4 regional titles, 3 Super Regional championships, a sectional title and made 1 final four appearance in the California community college playoffs.

Over the last five seasons:

  • 22 players have gone on to NCAA Div. I schools.
  • 48 players have earned All-Conference selections.
  • 13 players have earned California C.C. All-State honors.
  • 7 players have earned All-American status.
  • His teams have been nationally ranked each season from 2017-2022.

Curran explained his remarkable system at Ohlone College.

“At the college level, you have to be relentless recruiters,” said Curran.

“I spend at least 3-4 hours every single day hunting guys from Oct. 1 to the middle of June, talking to prospective players and sending e-mails as well as text messages. You have to be willing to work your tail off at this level to get kids who will make a difference.

“I tell my assistant coaches here that we must initially cast a wide net to identify the right players. Hopefully, we will get 10 percent of them. That means you are bringing in 25-30 guys each year. If you do that, 10 percent of them must be difference makers. That means each year, you have 3 elite ball players. So in any given year on the JC level, if you have 6 difference makers on your ball club, you will win some ball games.

“It all starts with players for me.”

Creating Culture
Curran said once you have players, then it is about creating culture.

“What are your guys doing when you are not around? How are they acting, conducting themselves, what is their work ethic and decision making? Once you find talented players, you must create a good culture.

“We have 7 Pillars Of Culture we consistently talk about: 1. Expectations, 2. Accountability, 3. Trust, 4. Work Ethic, 5. Value, 6. Selflessness, 7. Attention to detail.”

Curran broke down each of these 7 components.

To read more of this article, purchase the May 6, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. Mike Curran not only delves into the 7 Pillars Of Culture but explains his Offensive Jobs Chart that accurately predicts wins, plus much more.