Helping Cal Poly defend its Big West regular season title and produce another historic campaign during his initial year as a member of head coach Oige Kennedy’s staff, assistant coach Brandon Bautista is in his second season with the Mustangs.

With Bautista, Cal Poly’s 2025 squad retained the Big West regular season title, matched a program record with 10 shutouts, enjoyed 14 different goalscorers, finished 35th nationally with a plus-15 goal differential and recorded its highest goal total (30) in 12 years. Individually, a program record eight Mustangs earned All-Big West praise.

Bautista arrived at Cal Poly following a four-year assistant coaching run with Division II Colorado Mesa (2021-24) where he helped the Mavericks to a 40-25-10 overall mark, and, in 2021, a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship and NCAA Tournament second round appearance. Colorado Mesa players coached by Bautista earned five All-RMAC first team honors, six second team picks and eight honorable mention selections.

“We were excited to add a young coach of Brandon’s quality to our staff,” Kennedy said. “It was clear from our first interactions with him that he had the right level of humility and determination that would work fantastically well at Cal Poly. Brandon has shown how capable he is – first with a very good Colorado Mesa program and then with his ability to connect with our student-athletes at Cal Poly. He helps our guys get better each day.”

Prior to Colorado Mesa, Bautista served as the assistant coach at Division II Alderson Broaddus University (Philippi, West Virginia) in 2020. He fulfilled the same role at Division II Eastern New Mexico during the 2019 season under current Colorado Mesa head coach Jon Fridal. With Eastern New Mexico, Bautista assisted in all aspects of the program including recruiting, session planning, tactical analysis and day-to-day operations. The Greyhounds recorded a program best 12-5-1 record during his tenure – including three wins over ranked opponents – and climbed as high as No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll.

In addition to earning the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award, Eastern New Mexico also boasted five All-Lone Star Conference team selections, one D2CCA All-South Central Region second team honoree and two USC All-South Central Region picks.

A native of El Paso, Texas, Bautista made 30 appearances with 14 starts over two seasons with Eastern New Mexico (2017-18). He was also a two-year letterwinner with West Texas A&M (2014-16).

Bautista earned his bachelor’s degree in sports and exercise science from West Texas A&M in 2017 and completed a master’s in sport administration from Eastern New Mexico in 2020. 

Bautista’s wife, Izzi, is also in her second season as an assistant with the 2025 Big West champion Cal Poly women’s soccer program.