Kevin Brooks, who led the 2005 inaugural year of the Angelo State University baseball program and every season since, was named the 2023 Skip Bertman Coach of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation.

The award is named for legendary Louisiana State head coach and National College Baseball Hall of Famer Skip Bertman, who coached the Tigers from 1984 to 2001.

Under Brooks’ leadership, the Rams finished the 2023 season with a 56-9 overall record, setting the program and Lone Star Conference record for wins in a season on their way to a Division II National Championship title.

The numbers showing Brooks’ impact on the ASU Rams don’t lie. They have made 10 trips to the NCAA postseason, and six trips to the Division II Baseball Championship – the only LSC team to advance to the Championship. The Rams had back-to-back appearances in 2015-16 followed by three consecutively in 2021-23. The 2023 season culminated with an undefeated run to the Rams' first Division II National Championship.

The Rams have have never had a losing season under Brooks and have had 10 seasons with 40-plus wins, as well as 16 seasons with 30-plus wins.

In Brooks’ 20 years of coaching experience, 51 of his players have gone on to play in professional leagues and 28 were selected as All-Americans.

Brooks was selected by a national committee of active and retired coaches from all levels of college baseball. The Bertman Award recognizes coaches at every level of college baseball. Click here for a list of past winners.

Brooks played at Baylor University from 1988-91 under head coach Mickey Sullivan and began his coaching career as an assistant at Incarnate Word (1994-98).

After that, he was a volunteer assistant at Texas A&M in 1999 when the Aggies made the CWS, followed by assistant-coaching stints at the University of Texas-San Antonio (2000) and Hardin-Simmons University (2000-03).

The Skip Bertman Award rounds out a year of accolades from Brooks’ peers and other leaders in college baseball. He was also named as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and ATEC.

Coach Brooks along with the winners of the 2023 College Baseball Foundation awards including Matt Shaw, Maryland (Brooks Wallace Award), Paul Skenes, LSU (National Pitcher of the Year), Caden Grice and Clemson (John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year), and the 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees will be honored at the Night of Champions presented by Prairiefire on Feb. 15, 2024, in Overland Park, Kan.