Coaches

Tony Bari – Head Varsity Coach

Coach Tony returns for his 10th season at Cal High, determined to lead his 2025 Grizzlies to another North Coast Section (NCS) Division 1 Championship after their quest to repeat the 2023 title fell a game short last year.  This will be Coach Tony’s 13th season in the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) — 9 as Cal High Head Coach (2011-2014, 2018-2019, 2022-Present) and 3 as Monte Vista Head Coach (2015-2017).  Coach Tony left EBAL for a 2-year NCAA D1 coaching opportunity at St. Mary’s College (2020-2021) before returning to Cal High in 2022.  In his 12 previous high school seasons, Coach Tony’s teams finished in either 1st or 2nd place 10 times, making multiple runs at both League and Section Championships.   However, the actual hoisting of the NCS trophy had been elusive until the 2023 season, and the team was poised to repeat the feat in 2024, until a loss in the semifinal round ended their quest. 

Coach Tony has been a Head Coach for girls fastpitch softball and boys baseball throughout the Tri-Valley East Bay Area since 1999, managing teams for Spring seasonal leagues, Summer traveling leagues, and Fall instructional leagues.  He began coaching in San Ramon Little League (SRLL), where he was a Head Baseball Coach at every level over 12 years — from T-ball through high school — including District All-Star teams and traveling Gold teams.  In 2007, he expanded his coaching to softball in the San Ramon Valley Girls Athletic League (SRVGAL), becoming a Head Coach in the 10U Division and fell in love with the game.  Now, 18 years later — 14 years at the D1 high school and college levels — Coach Tony can’t imagine his life without Cal High Softball.

Coach Tony was named “Softball Coach of the Year” by West Coast Preps, following Cal High’s 2023 NCS Championship, and was also a 2008 recipient of the annual PCA (“Positive Coaching Alliance”) Double Goal Coach Award, given by SRVGAL as part of their Softball Coach of the Year recognition program.

Tim Ford – Assistant Varsity Coach

Coach Tim has been an Assistant Grizzly Softball Coach for most of the 20+ years he has worked at Cal High.  He has literally coached hundreds of Cal High softball players and supported many Head Varsity and Head JV coaches over decades, including Coach Tony during ALL of his previous seasons at Cal High.  Coach Tim has also coached at the travel ball level, including with Coach Tony.

Coach Tim and Coach Tony have a terrific partnership and really enjoy working together.  According to Coach Tony, “Tim is such a great asset to our Softball program and I can’t imagine being on the field without him.  We know how each other thinks.  Tim gives me great advice, while unconditionally supporting all of my decisions.  We get along incredibly well.  More importantly, he has the heart of a giant when it comes to these girls.  He cares about them as people, just as much as I do, and we are very protective of them as if they were our own daughters.  Tim is very special to me and I hope the families of our players appreciate him and what he brings to our program, as much as I do.“

Shawn Ching – Assistant Varsity Coach

Coach Shawn has been coaching and playing softball for over 25 years.  As a coach, he brings extensive experience working with student athletes of all ages in hitting and infield defense.  As a Head Coach for an 18U travel team under the Orange County Batbusters organization, Coach Shawn has helped many players achieve their goals to play softball at the college level.

Coach Shawn has also played for 20 years at the highest level in Men’s Fastpitch Softball, earning a World Championship in 2008.

Coach Shawn’s philosophy on hitting includes both the physical and mental approach, saying “I believe that the hitter should be at his/her strongest position on contact!  Count leverage, which is part of the mental approach, is a vital part of hitting, but ultimately squaring up the barrel is most important!  Quality At-Bats is the name of the game!  I’m looking forward to returning to Cal High Softball and winning another NCS D1 Championship.“

Katelyn Linford – Assistant Varsity Coach

Katelyn returned to the Cal High Varsity Softball field in 2023 as Coach Katelyn, 10 years after she graduated from Cal High in 2013 as a Varsity softball pitcher and player.   After helping lead her Grizzlies to the NCS tournament every year as a player, she finally experienced winning NCS in her first year as a Cal High Pitching Coach.  Katelyn went to San Jose State University and graduated in 2018 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.  She pitched on the SJSU softball team for four years, receiving academic honors each year.

During her senior year at San Jose State University, Katelyn led the Spartans softball team to a Mountain West Championship with a 24-8 record, and received conference, regional, and national honors.  During her 5th year at SJSU, Katelyn was the undergraduate assistant for the softball team.

Coach Katelyn joined the Cal High Varsity staff in 2023, following 8 years of coaching travel softball at the 10U – 18U levels, where she has had a strong focus on player development, including both their physical skills and softball fundamentals, with a key emphasis on their mental approach to the game.  Cal High Softball is proud to have one of their own continue on the Varsity Softball field as a Coach, and grateful that she wants to give back to our program.

Jason Reardon – Assistant Varsity Coach

Coach Jason returns to Cal High for a second year, but in a different role after a nearly undefeated inaugural 2024 season, where he led the JV team to a 20-2-1 overall record (10-1-1 in EBAL) as the Head JV Coach.  For 2025, Coach Jason will bring his years of coaching experience to the Varsity staff as Assistant Varsity Coach. After decades of playing and coaching baseball at multiple levels, Coach Jason is excited to return in a new capacity for the 2025 season..

A recently retired law enforcement executive, Coach Jason brings a no–nonsense approach to coaching that is rooted in fundamentals, hard work, discipline, and building team cohesion.  Coach Jason sees it as his responsibility to develop players to not only be better athletes, but to be better people on and off the field.  Coach Jason said, “The lessons a player learns on the field, and the experiences a player shares with members of a bonded team throughout the course of a season, serve the player well after their playing days are over.”  Coach Jason embraces the Cal High Softball program’s core values and will be a great addition to the Varsity staff..

Rusty Knudsen – Head JV Coach

We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rusty Knudsen to our staff this year as the new Head JV Coach. With over 30 years of coaching experience, Rusty brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for the game to our team.

Coach Knudsen has an extensive background in baseball, having coached at all levels, including Little League, Babe Ruth, High School, Semi-Pro, and Senior Men’s Leagues. His coaching career has seen him mentor players who have gone on to achieve great success at prestigious institutions such as Stanford, CAL, UC Davis, USC, UW, and Cal State Fullerton. Many of his former players have competed in the College World Series and the World Baseball Classic, with some even being drafted and playing professionally.
Rusty’s love for baseball and his deep understanding of the game can be attributed to his time playing under notable coaches like Bob Milano of UC Berkeley and Terry Christman of the New York Mets and scout for the San Francisco Giants. His experience and insights from these mentors have shaped his coaching philosophy and approach.
Having made San Ramon his home for the past 32 years, Rusty is deeply connected to the community. He is proud to have had three children graduate from Cal High and is excited to contribute to the school’s athletic program. Coach Knudsen is eager to assist in the development of the JV players, preparing them for their future opportunities at the varsity level.  We look forward to the positive impact Coach Knudsen will have on our team and the growth and success of our players under his guidance.

Alyssa Bustichi – Assistant JV Coach

Coach Alyssa joins the staff at Cal High after playing Varsity softball at Monte Vista for 4 years, where she was a power-hitting corner infielder.  Alyssa has played competitive ball her whole life and recently began her coaching career with travel ball teams. This is her first year coaching high school softball and she is full of energy, excited to share her knowledge about the game.

Growing up in a competitive softball atmosphere and being trained with a “college recruitment style” level of coaching, Alyssa’s approach to coaching reflects just that.  With strong knowledge on strength and conditioning, Alyssa hopes to bring a well-rounded level of training to the team, leading to stronger and more developed players all around.  As a former player who admits she once struggled in different aspects of life, Alyssa’s goal is to provide a safe, fun, productive, and professional environment for players to feel they can grow and be the best they can be without fear of failure.