Judge to have number retired by Fresno State
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Aaron Judge is going back to school. Fresno State has announced that they will retire the Yankees slugger’s No. 29 baseball jersey on Nov. 18.
Judge and longtime head baseball coach Mike Batesole will be honored with jersey retirement celebrations during halftime of the Bulldogs’ football game against New Mexico, the university announced on Thursday. A formal jersey retirement ceremony will be held on Nov. 19 at Fresno State’s baseball stadium.
"It is an incredible and humbling honor having my number retired at Fresno State," Judge said in a statement. "I'm excited to come back and enjoy the moment with so many coaches, teammates and alumni that made this possible."
Judge and Batesole's jerseys will be the 12th and 13th retired numbers, respectively, in Fresno State baseball history.
"Aaron Judge epitomizes all that Fresno State Athletics stands for, not only with respect to his remarkably high levels of athletic success, but more importantly in who he is as a person and the impact he makes on his communities," said Terry Tumey, Fresno State’s director of athletics. "We are blessed to have Aaron Judge representing Fresno State and the Diamond 'Dogs, and we look forward to enshrining his name in its rightful place among the all-time greats to come through our baseball program."
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Judge spent three seasons with the Bulldogs from 2011-13 before being selected by the Yankees in the first round of the ‘13 MLB Draft. Then a center fielder, Judge was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and WAC Freshman of the Year in ‘11.
In 2012, Judge won the TD Ameritrade College Baseball Home Run Derby, launching 16 home runs over the course of three rounds. Judge owned a .345 average with 18 home runs and 109 RBIs in 169 games as a Bulldog.
Batesole, a two-time National Coach of the Year, guided Fresno State to a 2008 College World Series championship. In his 20-year tenure, Batesole coached 89 players who were selected in the MLB Draft, including five first-round Draft picks (Richie Robnett in ‘04, Matt Garza in ‘05, Judge in ‘13, Taylor Ward in ‘15 and Ryan Jensen in ‘19).
"Getting to share this moment with Bates is something we will never forget," Judge said. "He is an incredible coach, mentor and friend who changed Fresno State Baseball forever."