Vanguard University

Ryan Johnston begins his first season at Vanguard alongside Coach Holland in 2026-27.
 

Johnston remains close to his roots upon his arrival at VU, as his previous stops include the University of California Irvine and CUI.  He was last seen at UCI for the past four seasons as an assistant to Ben Orloff, serving as the assistant hitting coach, the man in charge of the outfield, and coaching first base.  The Anteaters cleared 30 wins in 2022 and 2023, with the 2024 and 2025 (conference championship) sides getting over 40 wins and making the NCAA Regionals. 

In that same time span, Johnston has been a part of UCI's summer baseball camps and as a travel ball coach for the Saddleback Cowboys College Development Program.  Before that phase of life, Johnston spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at CUI for the 2021 & 2022 campaigns, with the Golden Eagles posting winning records each year.  As a player for two seasons at CUI, Johnston notched four hits and collected 16 strikeouts as an outfielder and a pitcher.  As a three-year member of the Anteaters, Johnston had a 3-3 record with 44 strikeouts across 52 innings, with 22 hits and 14 RBI from the plate.