Colby Watilo is entering his 4th season on the Whitman Baseball coaching staff. He serves as the lead assistant and pitching coach, and also assists in coordinating recruiting, camps and clinics, position specific and individual player development, social media, and more.
Watilo has led one of the best pitching staffs in the nation since his arrival at Whitman. In each of his three seasons as pitching coach, key staff statistics including earned run average and opposing batting average have lowered significantly every year. During the 2024 season, the Blues pitching staff improved upon an already impressive 2023 by lowering the team earned run average over a point to 4.46, lowering opposing batting average from .275 to .238, and increasing strikeouts from 353 to 408.
He has coached several standout pitchers including two-time Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year and All-Region honoree Julien Hernandez ’24 and 2024 1st-Team All-Northwest Conference honoree Jack Hostetler.
During the summer of 2023, Watilo was the head coach and manager of the Xenia Scouts, a collegiate summer team in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. He led the Scouts to their first ever appearance in the league championship series and was named GLSCL Manager of the Year.
A Walla Walla high school graduate, Watilo was a catcher at George Fox University and led the Northwest Conference in runners caught stealing percentage during his senior season. He spent two years on the coaching staff at George Fox assisting with the pitching staff, coordinating recruiting, and serving as the head junior varsity coach prior to coaching at Whitman.
Watilo earned his B.A. in Psychology from George Fox and his Master’s in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership from Messiah University. He resides in Walla Walla with his wife, Cameron.
