Bio

Frank Avilla is entering his 16th season with Lassen College baseball and his 15th 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.

Under Avilla’s leadership, the Cougars recorded their most wins in over 20 years in 2022, 2024, and 2025, and tallied over 100 program wins across the past four seasons. In Spring 2025, he reached his 250th career win, a milestone that reflects the steady success of the program. The Cougars have now made four consecutive NORCAL Regional appearances (2022–2025), and in both 2024 and 2025, Lassen had the honor of hosting back-to-back NORCAL Regionals—the first time that’s happened since 2004.

His 2022 team reached the NORCAL Super Regionals, NORCAL Elite 8, and State Sweet 16, while the 2024 squad was ranked #9 in Northern California. The talent pipeline has remained strong, with 33 All-Conference selections over the last four years, 11 All-State players, and 5 players earning All-American honors. His players continue to lead the Golden Valley Conference as well, with GVC Pitcher of the Year awards in both 2022 and 2025, and a GVC MVP in 2024.

The program’s impact is felt at the professional level, too—2017 alum Ray Kerr debuted in Major League Baseball with the San Diego Padres and was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 2024. Avilla’s commitment to academic and athletic advancement is unmatched: for 16 straight years, the program has had 100% of sophomores transfer with scholarships to four-year universities, including multiple NCAA Division I scholarship recipients—three in 2025 alone.

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.

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 CCCAA Sophomore All-Star Game and contributes at the CCCAA State Championship Tournament each year.

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 16 consecutive years, every sophomore has moved on with a scholarship to a four-year school—a powerful testament to the program’s commitment to excellence beyond baseball.

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," 11), Elena Pearl (7), and Mavery ("Juney Bug," 4)—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.