Ryan Johnston joins the Anteater baseball coaching staff hired in August 2022 as the volunteer assistant coach and returns for his third season in 2025.
Johnston returns to UC Irvine after a successful undergraduate career on the baseball team from 2016-19. Johnston excelled both at the plate with 106 games over his career in the outfield and first base. As a hitter, he made 23 starts posting 22 hits, a double, a triple, and 14 RBIs. His two-way skills were on display 37 times as a pitcher with a career 3-3 record and 44 strikeouts in 52 innings. He graduated from UCI with his degree in education in 2019.
Johnston's graduate career continued at Concordia University, Irvine playing in 2019-20 for the Eagles. At the plate, he hit .308 in 16 games, and added five games on the mound with 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. Johnston attained his master's in coaching and athletic administration while on the team, and continued his pursuit toward his master's in coaching and exercise science for the 2021 season where he was a graduate assistant at CUI in his first venture in coaching.
Johnston also coached in the West Coast League in Walla Walla, Wash. for the Sweets in the West Coast League. He got the opportunity to coach for them in 2021 and also played for the Sweets as a player.
Johnston is originally from San Diego, Calif. where he attended Cathedral Catholic High School and played both baseball and basketball. Ryan has spent the last eight years in Irvine where he enjoys coaching and playing golf.
