Bio

Frank Avilla – Head Baseball Coach, Lassen College

Frank Avilla is entering his 15th season with Lassen College baseball and his 14th as head coach, continuing his mission to build a program defined by excellence, grit, and tradition. Since taking over in 2010, Avilla has turned the Cougars into a consistent powerhouse, earning multiple playoff appearances and producing top-tier talent. His teams have averaged 20+ wins per season since 2017, and over the last five years alone, they’ve won more than 100 games—rewriting the program’s history along the way.

Program Accomplishments (2022-2024)

● 2022 & 2024: Most wins in over 20 years

● 75 program wins in the past three seasons

● Spring 2024: Coach Avilla’s 225th career win

● Three consecutive NORCAL Regional appearances (2022-2024)

● 2024: Hosted NORCAL Regionals for the first time since 2004

● Spring 2022: NORCAL Super Regionals, NORCAL Elite 8, & State Sweet 16

● Spring 2024: Ranked #9 in NORCAL

● 23 All-Conference players in the last three years

● 9 All-State players and 3 All-Americans

● 2022 Golden Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year

● 2024 GVC Conference MVP

● 2017 alum Ray Kerr debuted in MLB with the Padres, traded to Atlanta in 2024

● 15 straight years of 100% sophomore transfers with scholarships to four-year universities

● Multiple Division I scholarship recipients

Avilla’s leadership has earned him two Golden Valley Conference Coach of the Year awards, and his impact on Lassen athletics extends well beyond the baseball field. In Fall 2021, he joined Lassen’s full-time faculty as an instructor in the P.E., Health, and Kinesiology department. Today, he stands as the longest-tenured head coach in Lassen College baseball history and the most senior coach in the entire athletic department.

Since Spring 2020, Avilla has also played a key role in California community college baseball, serving as the Golden Valley Conference State Representative for the CCCBCA. He helps select players for the state sophomore All-Star Game and contributes to serving the CCCBCA at the state championship tournament.

But Avilla’s impact isn’t just measured in wins—it’s in the culture he’s built. His program is rooted in servant leadership, preparing student-athletes to succeed on the field, in the classroom, and in life. His players are deeply involved in the Susanville community, volunteering at local events and embracing the responsibility that comes with being part of a tight-knit, proud baseball family. Perhaps most impressively, Avilla has never had a player become academically ineligible, and for 15 consecutive years, every sophomore has had the opportunity to move on with a scholarship to a four-year school—a testament to the program’s commitment to excellence beyond baseball.

Personal Life

Off the field, Avilla is a dedicated family man. In August 2013, he married Terra Shoupe, a Lassen County law enforcement officer and criminal justice instructor at Lassen Community College. Together, they have three energetic daughters: Anna Lynne ("The Peach," 10), Elena Pearl (6), and Mavery ("Juney Bug," 3)—who keep them on their toes!

 A Sparks, Nevada native, Avilla played college baseball at Neosho County Community College and Yuba College, where he was an All-Conference selection and team captain. He finished in the top 30 in the state in hitting before transferring to Oklahoma Baptist University on a baseball scholarship. There, he played for NAIA Hall of Fame Coach Bobby Cox and earned a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Sports Management in 2009. Never one to stop learning, he later earned a master’s degree in Exercise Science from Concordia University - Chicago in 2020.

With passion, leadership, and a relentless drive for excellence, Coach Avilla continues to push Lassen Baseball to new heights—one season, one player, and one win at a time.