Whitman College Athletics

Brian Kitamura has led the Whitman Baseball program through one of its most successful eras in college history.  Entering his 11th season as head coach and 16th year on the coaching staff, Kitamura has built Whitman into a perennial title contender.  

In the spring of 2024, Whitman captured the Northwest Conference regular season title for the first time since 1952 posting a 16-8 record in conference and a 26-17 record overall.  The Blues led the conference offensively in homeruns while also leading the conference in earned run average, opposing batting average, and strikeouts on the mound.

The 2024 Northwest Conference Coach of the Year, Kitamura has led Whitman to the Northwest Conference Tournament four times in the last five seasons it has been held (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024).  He has recruited, coached, and mentored dozens of all-conference players including two-time Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year and All-Region honoree Julien Hernandez ‘24, All-American Ben Parker ‘23, Northwest Conference Freshman of the Year Eric Ma ’20, and pre-season All-American and All-Region standout Joseph Zimmer ‘18.

Kitamura brought the program to new heights in 2019 as the Blues won their first Northwest Conference Tournament championship and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.  The Blues went 28-21 that spring and opened the NCAA Tournament against then 6th ranked Chapman University.  Despite eventually falling in the bottom of the 9th in the final game of a thrilling five-game series regional to the eventual national champions, Whitman was the only team in the nation to defeat Chapman more than once that season.

Throughout Kitamura’s tenure as head coach, the Blues have elevated across the board.  Win totals in 2019, 2023, and 2024 are the most for Whitman teams since the 1930s and 1940s.  Under Kitamura’s leadership, teams have earned a 3.0 or higher grade point average every semester and two major capital projects have been completed at Borleske Stadium.  In 2016, a 4,000 square foot indoor hitting and pitching facility was built down the left field line next to the home bullpen.  Most recently, the Edwards-Moore Clubhouse opened at Borleske in the Spring of 2024 – a state of the art building for Whitman Baseball to call home that includes a full locker room, team space, technology and recruiting room, athletic training room, coaches and umpires rooms, and more.

Kitamura has also been one of the most progressive coaches in the nation helping his players who have had eligibility remaining continue to play beyond Whitman, especially those pursuing Whitman’s outstanding 3-2 engineering partnership program.  Players who have gone on to continue their academic and athletic careers at the NCAA Division 1 level after Whitman include Patrick Stanton (Columbia), Jimmy Smiley (Columbia), Adrian Vela (Northern Colorado), Matthew Sox (Utah), Eric Ma (Northern Colorado), Mateus Conaway (Utah), and Julien Hernandez (Oregon).

Prior to becoming head coach, Kitamura served as an assistant coach for five seasons – three as a volunteer and two as the lead assistant and recruiting coordinator.  During the summers, he served as the head coach of the Walla Walla Bears 19U team from 2011-2014 amassing a record of 119-47-3 with numerous tournament championships.  He also served as an assistant coach for the Bears in 2010 and 2015.  During his six seasons with the Bears, Kitamura helped more than 40 players continue their playing careers as student-athletes at the college level.

An active member of the local community, Kitamura serves as a volunteer director on the Walla Walla Youth Baseball & Softball and the Friends of Children of Walla Walla non-profit boards.  With the support of the local community, he has established Whitman Baseball’s annual free Little League camp.  He also served as the chairman of the 2013 Washington State AA Junior American Legion State Tournament.

A Whitman alumnus, Kitamura was a four-year starter in the outfield and team captain his senior year.  He graduated from Whitman with his B.A. in Psychology in 2010 and earned his Professional Master’s in Sports Administration from Ohio University in 2019.  He resides in Walla Walla with his wife Kirsten (‘12) and their three children Evelyn, Brooks, and Ava.