Jake Portugal was elevated to Head Coach of the San Diego Mesa Olympians in January of 2022 after
serving as an assistant since the summer of 2014 and playing for the Olympians during the 2011 and
2012 season.

In his 3 seasons as Head Coach, the Olympians have made tremendous progress rebuilding the program
post the COVID-19 pandemic that cancelled both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Having one First Team All-
America selection, two All-SoCal, 6 Academic All-State selections, 8 First Team All-Conference, 17
Honorable Mentions, and 24 student-athletes have received scholarships to four-year universities while
earning multiple ABCA Team Academic Excellence Awards as of Summer 2024.

The San Diego, California, native began his collegiate coaching in his hometown and alma mater, San
Diego Mesa College, beginning in the Summer of 2014. He served as the catching and hitting coach while
also taking on the duties as recruiting coordinator and strength and conditioning coach. Additionally, he
has been an Adjunct Professor in the Exercise Science and Health Department since 2015 where he is
active within the academic community, serving on multiple campus committees, and has attended
multiple NCORE (National Conference on Race & Ethnicity) conventions on behalf of the college.

During Coach Portugal’s stint as an assistant coach with the Olympians from 2015-2021, he coached five
First Team All-American selections, eight All-SoCal, 15 First Team All-Conference, 22 Honorable
Mentions, and 76 of the athletes coached and recruited by Portugal received scholarships at four-year
universities, along with 5 players playing professionally, including freshman outfielder, Andrew
McWilliams, who was drafted in the 34th round by the Detroit Tigers.

During the 2018 season, Portugal moved to Chicago while his Wife finished Nursing school and took an
assistant coaching position at storied division 1 program, University of Illinois-Chicago. Working
alongside collegiate coaching staples: Mike Dee (32 seasons at college level), Sean McDermott (29
seasons), and John Flood (16 seasons), as well as renowned sports psychologist Rachel Webb who is
currently an Assistant AD of Sports Psychology for University of Arizona. During the 2018 season, 6
student-athletes continued onto professional baseball: Ryan Campbell (4 th round, Cincinnati Reds),
Charlie Cerny (7 th round, Oakland Athletics), Aaron Ackerman (26 th round, Los Angeles Dodgers), Reid
Birlingmair (28 th round Oakland Athletics), Scott Ota (10 th round, New York Mets), and Matt Botcher
(Schaumburg Boomers). The 2018 Flames beat multiple power 5 opponents before falling in the
conference championship game to conclude the season.

Prior to coaching, Portugal was a part of two successful seasons at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.,
under head coach Matt Husted. As a catcher for the Thunder, Portugal helped the team to the CCIW
Conference Tournament in 2013 and post the highest team fielding percentage in school history .973. In
2014 the pitching staff recorded the second-most strikeouts in school history, 270, and the second-most
wins in school history, 23.

Portugal began his collegiate playing career as a catcher at San Diego Mesa College where the
Olympians made regional appearances in both 2011 and 2012 while also capturing the Pacific Coast
Conference Championship in 2012 under the tutelage of Kevin Hazlett, Steven Sanchez (current PLNU
assistant), TJ Merritt (Former USD & Indiana State assistant), and Mark Wanaka (Current LSU assistant).

Jake’s Prep playing career at Mira Mesa High culminated with the Marauders winning 2 Eastern League
Titles. The Marauders were led by longtime San Diego Prep Coach, Gene Watkins, Assistant Coach
Sheldon Watkins (Former Indiana University Assistant, current Patrick Henry Head Coach), and Michael
Ramazzotti (Former UCSD & USD Assistant, Current Houston Astros Coach).

Portugal has spent the summers as a head coach for numerous summer leagues. In 2017-19, he led the
San Diego Hawks to the California Coastal Collegiate League semi-finals each summer. From 2014-16 he
coached the San Diego Samurai (a team comprised of Japanese & Japanese-American players) of the
Western Baseball Association. In 2013 he managed the Lanier Vikings affiliate of RBI (Reviving Baseball
in Inner-Cities) in Austin, Texas. Coach Portugal also has national and international coaching and playing
experience, working clinics, camps, and conventions in New York, Arizona, Texas, Hawaii, Florida,
Oregon, Alaska, Wisconsin, as well as abroad in Panama, Mexico, Belize, and the Philippines.

As a first-generation college student, Portugal earned his A.A. in Social Sciences from San Diego Mesa
College in 2012, B.A. in Communications from Wheaton College in 2014, M.A. in Physical Education
(Exercise Science Concentration) from Azusa Pacific University in 2015, and a Secondary Education
Teaching Credential with endorsements in Health and Physical Education. Coach Portugal also serves as
an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University in the Off-Season. Since Portugal became head
coach, two assistant coaches at Mesa have been promoted with Trevin Esquerra now at Irvine Valley
College and Esau “Chacho” Madrigal now the Head Coach at conference opponent Imperial Valley
College, adding to Mesa College’s rich coaching lineage.

The son of Ron and Stephanie Portugal, Jake has two younger brothers, Joseph and Nicholas. Joseph
played collegiately and graduated from Mesa in 2016 before transferring to CSU East Bay, pitching for
the Pioneers. Post-playing career, Joseph made coaching stops at San Diego Christian College and La
Jolla Country Day. And Nicholas also graduated from Mesa College prior to earning his Bachelor and
Doctoral Degrees at San Diego State University, now working for Rady’s Children’s Hospital.

Jake and his wife Trisha are a foster family and live in San Diego County with their children and dogs.