Britt Bonneau Explained

Britt Bonneau
Current Title:Volunteer assistant
Current Team:Oklahoma
Current Conference:SEC
Birth Date:11 May 1970
Birth Place:Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Alma Mater:Lubbock Christian '94 (B.S.)
Overall Record:766–511–1
Tournament Record:NCAA D2: 14–18
Lone Star: 34–19
Championships:Division II South Central Regional: 2003
Lone Star Tournament: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010
Lone Star: 2008, 2010
Lone Star South: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007
Player Years1:1989–1991
Player Team1:Lubbock Christian
Player Years2:1992
Player Team2:Oklahoma
Coach Years1:1993
Coach Team1:UTSA (asst.)
Coach Years2:1994–1995
Coach Team2:Lubbock Christian (asst.)
Coach Years3:1996
Coach Team3:Abilene Christian (asst.)
Coach Years4:1997–2018
Coach Team4:Abilene Christian
Coach Years5:2019–present
Coach Team5:Oklahoma (asst.)

Britt Bonneau (born May 11, 1970) is an American college baseball coach who had been the head coach at Abilene Christian (ACU) from 1997 to the competition of the 2018 season. Under Bonneau, ACU played in nine NCAA Tournaments. Previously, he was an assistant at UTSA, Lubbock Christian, and Abilene Christian. Bonneau played professional baseball in the mid-1990s after playing college baseball at Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma.[1]

Playing career

Bonneau played college baseball at Lubbock Christian (LCU) from 1989 to 1991 and Oklahoma in 1992. At LCU in 1991, he played on an NAIA World Series team and was named a First-Team All-American. At Oklahoma in 1992, he played in the College World Series.

The Chicago Cubs signed Bonneau to a professional contract after college. He played in the Cubs' minor league system in 1993, advancing as far as short-season Geneva. He then played independent league baseball in 1994 and 1995 in the Texas–Louisiana League.[2]

Coaching career

Early career

While pursuing his professional playing career during the summers, Bonneau began his coaching career in the spring of 1993. He worked as an assistant at UTSA that year. He then spent 1994 and 1995 at Lubbock Christian, where he completed his bachelor's degree.

Abilene Christian

After his playing career ended at the end of the 1995 season, Bonneau spent the 1996 season as an assistant at Abilene Christian under Jimmy Shankle. That season, the Wildcats qualified for their first NCAA Tournament. Bonneau replaced Shankle as head coach the following season.

After missing the Lone Star Tournament in his first season as head coach, Abilene Christian had six consecutive 40-win seasons from 1998 to 2003. This included a string of four consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2000 to 2003 that culminated in a College World Series appearance in 2003. From 2000 to 2002, the Wildcats won three straight Lone Star South Division and Tournament titles. It won neither in 2003 but received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. In the 2003 South Regional, ACU won its first two games, 9–5 over Central Oklahoma and 14–5 over Delta State. It defeated Delta State again in the regional title game to advance to the College World Series, the program's first. There, it lost consecutive games to Tampa and UC Davis. After going 31–25 in 2004, Abilene Christian had another stretch of six straight 40-win seasons that culminated in a 50-win season in 2010. In that stretch, ACU won another three divisions titles, two conference titles, and two conference tournament titles.

In 2014, Abilene Christian joined Division I. In the Southland Conference, the Wildcats finished 13th after an 18–36 overall season.[3] [4] [5] [6]

On May 19, 2018, Bonneau resigned as the head coach of Abilene Christian.[7] Bonneau now works as a volunteer assistant coach at OU.

Head coaching record

Below is a table of Bonneau's records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Britt Bonneau . ACUSports.com . Abilene Christian Athletics Media Relations . August 16, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140526022328/http://www.acusports.com/staff.aspx?staff=28 . May 26, 2014 . dead .
  2. Web site: Britt Bonneau . Baseball-Reference.com . August 16, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084327/http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=bonnea001bri . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  3. News: McMurphy . Brett . Abilene Christian to Southland . August 16, 2014 . ESPN.com . August 25, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140715062139/http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8301738/abilene-christian-move-division-southland-conference . July 15, 2014 . live .
  4. News: Closer to Home: ACU Baseball Coach Bonneau Announces First DI Recruiting Class . August 16, 2014 . ReporterNews.com . December 6, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085300/http://www.reporternews.com/sports/college/closer-to-home-acu-baseball-coach-bonneau-first . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  5. News: Niemerowski . Shera . Bonneau Nears Two Decades as Skipper . August 16, 2014 . ACUOptimist.com . February 20, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819135931/http://www.acuoptimist.com/2014/02/bonneau-nears-two-decades-as-skipper/ . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  6. News: Aggies Host Abilene Christian on Wednesday . August 16, 2014 . KBTX.com . April 15, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090608/http://www.kbtx.com/sports/home/headlines/Aggies-Host-Abilene-Christian-on-Wednesday-255433691.html . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  7. Web site: Bonneau ready for new challenges after 22 years with Abilene Christian baseball program . Joey D. Richards . May 26, 2018 . Abilene Reporter News . www.reporternews.com . June 1, 2018.
  8. Web site: 2013 NCAA Division II Baseball Championship Record Book . NCAA.org . July 13, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714170110/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_champs_records/2012/d2/DII.pdf . July 14, 2014 . dead .
  9. Web site: 2014 Abilene Christian Baseball Record Book . ACUSports.com . Abilene Christian Athletics Media Relations . August 16, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160316164001/http://www.acusports.com/documents/2014/3/26/2014%20BSB%20Record%20Book.pdf . March 16, 2016 . dead .
  10. Web site: Lone Star Conference All-Time Baseball Standings . LoneStarConference.com . August 16, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084254/http://www.lonestarconference.org/documents/2014/1/7/base_alltimestandings.pdf . August 19, 2014 . dead .
  11. Web site: Lone Star Conference Baseball Championship History . LoneStarConference.com . August 16, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240513133847/https://lonestarconference.org/documents/2014/1/7/base_championship_history.pdf . May 13, 2024 . dead .
  12. Web site: 2014 Southland Conference Standings . D1Baseball.com . August 16, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140412144419/http://www.d1baseball.com/conferences/standings_southland.htm . April 12, 2014 . dead .