Ken Knutson

• Throws Left

• School Seattle University, University of Washington
• High School Evergreen High School (Seattle)

• Born in Sisseton, SD USA

Biographical Information

Ken Knutson is a long-time college coach.

Knutson was born in South Dakota but grew up in Seattle. He was an All-State pitcher in high school in 1976. He was attending Seattle University when they dropped baseball in 1980; he then transferred to the University of Washington, where he would spend many years. He went 5-2 with a 2.89 ERA in 1981 to help the university win its first Pacific-10 Conference Northern Division title in 22 years. He won All-Conference honors. He was immediately hired as the University's pitching coach, a job he held from 1982 to 1986; in 1985, the Huskies led NCAA Division I with a 2.80 ERA. Knutson left Washington for a few years and coached semi-pro and amateur teams in the Seattle area, including managing the Seattle Studs in 1988-1989.

From 1990 to 1992, Ken was assistant head coach and pitching coach for the University of Washington. One of his students, Scott Brow, became a major leaguer. Ken also got married in 1991; he would become a father of three. Knutson became head coach for the Huskies in September 1992, replacing Bob MacDonald, who had held the job for 16 years.

The Sisseton native led Washington to a 39-19 record his first year in charge. They won a school-record 42 games in 1994, beat three teams that were ranked #1 during the year and produced five All-Americans after only producing three in the university's history. In 1995, just his third year, he became the third coach in school history to win 100 games.

Knutson almost took his team to the Pac-10 title in 1996, dropping 2 of 3 in the finals to USC, despite using a lineup consisting mostly of freshmen. In 1997, Washington again won 46 games and finished #13 in Division I. They won the first Pac-10 championship in school history. Chris Magruder was a starter for Team USA; no Husky had ever even tried out for Team USA before Knutson became head coach.

Knutson's team went 41-17 in 1998 and won the Pac-10 title again. They again finished 13th in the country. In 1999, Ken's club was 12-12 in league play and Jeff Heaverlo became the highest-drafted Husky to that point (33rd overall). The team sputtered for a couple of years; when the Pac-10 merged North and South divisions in 1999, the Northern clubs had trouble competing. During 2002, Washington started 12-15-1 but bounced back to finish 30-25-1.

In 2003, Washington went 42-18 and Brent Lillibridge became a starter with Team USA. During 2004, Knutson's team went 39-20-1 to finish second in the Pac-10 under freshman ace Tim Lincecum. On May 22nd, Knutson passed his mentor, MacDonald, as the winningest coach in school history, with 422 victories.

Washington was 33-22 in 2005 and led NCAA Division I in fielding percentage. During 2006, Ken led the Huskies to a 36-25 record, with Lincecum being drafted 10th overall in the 2006 amateur draft after winning the Golden Spikes Award. Knutson's 2007 Huskies faded to 29-27 while producing first-round pick Nick Hagadone. That year, Ken became the winningest coach in any sport in University of Washington history and also reached 500 wins.

In 2008, Ken's record was 33-22. He had gone 559-369-2 overall, with the best winning percentage in University of Washington for someone who coached 85+ games. He was fired after the 2009 season and he moved to Arizona State University as pitching coach. Knutson left Arizona State after the 2014 season.

In September, 2014 Knutson founded his own training facility (AZ Baseball Ranch) that specializes in pitching performance. He changed the name in 2017 to the Arizona Pitching Arsenal which remains in operation as of 2020. In addition, the St. Louis Cardinals hired Knutson in 2015 for a Pitching Programs and Rehab Coordinator role. The intent was for Ken to coordinate and monitor pitcher throwing and arm care programs, with an emphasis on off-season development.

Knutson was scheduled to manage the AZL Indians Red in 2020 before COVID-19 shut down the minor league season.

Related Sites

• Arizona State University Bio