Oscar Hirschkorn has been the head baseball coach at Fresno Pacific University since the program’s inception in 2006. In 20 seasons he's led the program to a 514-449-1 all-time record, seven regional postseason appearances, three World Series appearances (NAIA and NCCAA) and back-to-back World Series championships (2014-2015).
The Sunbird baseball program has built a reputation for developing top-level talent and sending it to the next level. FPU has put 15 players into the professional ranks since the program's inception, including eight players selected in the MLB Amateur Draft.
In 20 seasons at FPU, Hirschkorn has coached 52 all-conference players, four conference/region pitchers of the year, two region players of the year, eight All-Americans, two national Gold Glove winners and one player who went on to reach the major leagues.
In September of 2011 Chris Schwinden made his major league debut with the New York Mets after earning Mets' minor league pitcher of the year honors and making the Triple-A All-Star Game. Schwinden, who was drafted in 2008, became Fresno Pacific's first big-leaguer in the program's young but successful history.
"He made the calls. He got me seen by scouts so most of the credit goes to him. I was really close to being done with baseball. I can't say enough good things about Coach Oscar and Fresno Pacific," Schwinden would say after being called up to the Mets.
Five other former Sunbirds have gone on to be selected in the MLB Amateur Draft, including pitcher Jesse Darrah in the 8th round of the 2011 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks (the highest pick out of any 4-year university in the Valley that year). Many others have been signed by major league teams or other professional teams after the draft.
FPU baseball made its postseason debut in just its third season as a program (2008) with Hirschkorn being named conference coach of the year.
Before joining the NCAA Division II, FPU qualified for four straight NAIA Championship Opening Round appearances from 2008-2011 and was ranked in the NAIA Top-25 for four consecutive years. In 2009, in just its fourth season, the Sunbirds reached the NAIA World Series, finishing fifth in the nation.
In 2014, Hirschkorn led the program to its first World Series title, being named NCCAA national coach of the year. He repeated both accolades in 2015.
In 2023, the Sunbirds made the first ever PacWest Baseball Championships under the direction of Hirschkorn, which was hosted by Fresno Pacific. FPU landed seven players on All-PacWest teams headlined by the PacWest Pitcher of the Year Garrett Cooper and the PacWest Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Smith. Both of the individual award winners were joined on the first team by second baseman Tommy Rover. Cooper and Jared Aguilar became the first Sunbirds to earn All-PacWest four times in their careers, just the sixth and seventh players to accomplish the feat in conference history.
The 2025 season was monumental for Hirschkorn and the Sunbirds in multiple ways. The program's 500th win was recorded February 22nd against the Hawai'i-Hilo Vulcans; a milestone indicative of his unwavering commitment to the program. Additionally, 2025 marked the start of a new era for Sunbirds baseball, as the program began play at the state-of-the-art Dan Martin Stadium on the campus of FPU. Complete with over 700 fully-covered seats, a big league-caliber clubhouse and locker room, Trackman and AWRE analytics systems, new bullpens, press box, restrooms, and concessions, the facility is the crown jewel of west coast Division II baseball and the new benchmark for which all facilities will be measured. Coach Hirschkorn was a key team member on the project, providing valuable insight and leadership in the creation of FPU Baseball's new home.
Prior to starting the FPU baseball program, Hirschkorn was an assistant coach at Reedley College and Caruthers High School and was a head coach at Sanger High School, where he inherited a team that had gone 4-23 the previous season. Three years later, he guided the squad to the school's first postseason appearance in 19 years.
Hirschkorn’s playing career began at Kerman High School and took him to Reedley College, Cal Poly-SLO, and Chico State. While at Chico State, Hirschkorn, a pitcher, ranked among the top tier in the Northern California Athletic Conference in wins and was in the starting rotation on the school’s first NCAA Division II National Championship team in 1997, a year in which the team compiled a 52-11 record. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1993 and again in 1994.
Hirschkorn was named GSAC coach of the year and region coach of the year in 2008, and national coach of the year in 2014 and 2015. He holds his B.A. (1998) and M.A. (1999), both in Physical Education, from Chico State.
Coach Hirschkorn and his wife Trisha have three children: Houston, Holden, and Jensen.
