Marian and Mater Dei Crusaders Alumni Association

Marian and Mater Dei Catholic Alumni,

We are hiring for the following position and would love to have even more alumni join our faculty and staff.

🔵High School English Teacher
https://www.edjoin.org/Home/JobPosting/2237796

In loving memory of Marian High School alumnus, Arthur Calvert ’81
You will always be loved. May you be in ever lasting peace 🙏

Art excelled in football, basketball, and baseball at Marian. He made All Metro League both his junior and senior years in baseball. Art was drafted by the New York Yankees in 1984 and finished his minor league baseball career with the St. Petersburg Cardinals in 1989. Art was inducted into the Crusader Hall of Fame in 2011. Art served his community as a member of the San Diego Police Department.

The Crusader Hall of Fame Selection Committee is proud to announce that Coach Ed Johnson will be inducted into the Crusader Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026! ⚾️🏆

Coach Ed Johnson was the head baseball coach at Marian Catholic High School and Mater Dei Catholic High School from 1996-2025.

In his 29 years coaching Crusaders baseball, Johnson had a career 435-438-1 record with four league titles in 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2025. His Marian Catholic teams played in seven CIF San Diego section championship games, winning the Division III title in 1998 and 1999 and the Division IV crown in 2000 and 2002.

Johnson played three years of varsity baseball and two years of varsity basketball at Montgomery High School. From there he attended Southwestern Community College and then Howard University in Washington D.C., where he was roommates with longtime sports broadcaster, Gus Johnson. He started his coaching career at Montgomery and was an assistant coach at San Diego City College for three seasons before taking the job as head baseball coach at Marian Catholic High School.

Coach Ed Johnson will forever be remembered as one of the longest-tenured and most respected high school baseball coaches in San Diego County. Johnson’s passion, encouragement and care touched countless lives in the Marian and Mater Dei Catholic community.

Congratulations to Andrew Martinez ’12 for being elected to the Crusader Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026! 🏈🤼⚾️🏆

The Class of 2026 will be enshrined on Friday, October 2nd at Mater Dei Catholic’s Egger Stadium before the Homecoming football game. Homecoming football tickets vs. Montgomery High School will go on sale in September.

Andrew Martinez was born a Crusader.

The Balestrieri-Martinez family history began at Marian High School in 1975. High school sweethearts Jim Martinez ’78 and Bernadette Balestrieri-Martinez ’80 initiate a long family lineage of involvement within the parish and school community. Grandparents, parents, siblings, and cousins have all coached, volunteered, or enrolled at Marian and Mater Dei Catholic since that time. Andrew is one of the lucky few to experience the glory days at Marian Catholic High School, under the lights of Egger Field, and to witness the growth and success of Mater Dei Catholic High School as it exists today.

Andrew Martinez, a 2012 graduate of Mater Dei Catholic High School was a four-year varsity letterman in football, wrestling, and baseball from 2009-2012. From 2010-2012, Andrew earned First and Second Team All-League honors, and he was selected Team Captain and MVP for both football and baseball. In his final football season, Andrew capped it off by winning the 2011 Metro Pacific Conference Championship, receiving the 2012 Metro Pacific Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award, and playing in both the Alex Spanos All-Star Football Classic and the California State All-Star Games in 2012.

From 2013-2016, Andrew attended the University of California, Irvine on a Division I baseball scholarship. This was highlighted by a 2014 trip to the College Baseball World Series and graduating with Majors in Sociology and Criminal Justice. In 2017, Andrew transferred on a baseball scholarship back home to play his final year at San Diego State University and start graduate school. There, he won the 2017 Mountain West Conference Championship, received the Mountain West Conference Championship MVP Award, and graduated with a Master's
Degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences, focusing on Homeland Security.

After college, opportunities swayed his interests towards human performance and entrepreneurship, leading to his career as a certified strength and conditioning coach. Andrew now proudly owns Built Well for Birth, a Pre-Postnatal Fitness and Health Company, has co-founded the non-profit Built Well for Life, is an inventor with multiple patents, and is currently hosting two clinical research studies with UC San Diego, in an effort to promote greater maternal health outcomes.

Andrew feels extremely blessed and highly honored to be a part of the Marian and Mater Dei Catholic Community. This community and school have truly been a second home and will always be treated as hallowed ground. Andrew would like to dedicate this honor to his family, teachers, coaches, staff, and mentors. We truly stand upon the shoulders of giants. Andrew is looking forward to growing his own family with his fiancée, Sebar, and continuing the Balestrieri-Martinez story at Mater Dei Catholic.

Congratulations to Matt Milke ’08 for being elected to the Crusader Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026! 🤽🏻‍♂️⚾️🏆

The Class of 2026 will be enshrined on Friday, October 2nd at Mater Dei Catholic’s Egger Stadium before the Homecoming football game. Homecoming football tickets vs. Montgomery High School will go on sale in September.

Matt Milke, a 2008 graduate of Mater Dei Catholic High School, was a two-time letterman in water polo from 2006-2007. Milke led the South Bay League in scores by a goalie and helped the team win Mater Dei Catholic’s first water polo League Championship in 2007. In his senior year, Milke joined the varsity baseball team under the tutelage of Coach Ed Johnson.
Milke continued his baseball career at Southwestern Community College from 2010-2011 where he excelled as a starting pitcher for the Jaguars. Milke produced a 2.45 ERA with 96 strikeouts while pitching in 95 innings and had a 7-4 win to loss record. Milke received multiple baseball scholarships from the University of Southern California (USC), Auburn University and Brigham Young University (BYU). He ultimately accepted the scholarship to BYU where he played baseball from 2012-2013.

From 2011-2013, Milke joined the renowned summer collegiate baseball team, Alaska Goldpanners under Hall of Fame NCAA Coach, Jim Dietz. Milke amassed a 3.72 combined ERA from 2011-2013 with a season best of a 1.78 ERA. Over the three summer seasons, he combined for 105 strikeouts in 110 innings and was named an all-star in the summer of 2013.

While at BYU, Milke led the Cougars with 2.15 ERA and was poised as the team’s closing pitcher. He appeared in 27 games with 46 innings pitched and obtained 38 strikeouts. The team would subsequently tie for first place in the NCAA West Coast Conference.

Professionally, Milke played with the Sioux City Explorers in Iowa and currently works as a Sheriff’s Deputy for San Diego County.

Baseball has taught Milke strength through perseverance. This hard work ethic has been instilled in him and shaped him to become a hard worker, and a better husband to his wife, CeCe, and father to his daughter, Gia.

Matt Milke would like to thank his friends, teammates, coaches, and family for believing in him and helping him become the person he is today. He would especially like to thank his dad, George Milke ’72, who has shown him to never give up and that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Congratulations to Bobby Applegate ’91 for being elected to the Crusader Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026! 🏈🏀⚾️🏆

The Class of 2026 will be enshrined on Friday, October 2nd at Mater Dei Catholic’s Egger Stadium before the Homecoming football game. Homecoming football tickets vs. Montgomery High School will go on sale in September.

Bobby Applegate, a 1991 graduate of Marian Catholic High School, was a three-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball, and baseball. He was a member of the 1988 CIF Championship football team and earned First Team All-Harbor League honors in 1991.

Applegate continued his baseball career at Southwestern Community College under Coach Jerry Bartow, helping lead the team to a Pacific Coast League Co-Championship in 1992 and earning All-Conference honors in 1993. He later transferred to the University of Southern Colorado, where he played for Coach Stan Sanchez, earning All-Conference honors and being named Conference Player of the Year in 1994. In 1995, he earned All-Conference recognition and went on to play professionally for the Pueblo Bighorns of the Texas-Louisiana League.

Applegate began his coaching career in 1996 at USC while completing his degree in Kinesiology. That same year, he helped guide the program to its first NCAA Division II College World Series appearance. He later continued his playing career in 1998 with the Tri-City Posse of the Western League. He transitioned into full-time coaching in 1998 at the United States Air Force Academy, serving five seasons as pitching coach and developing multiple All-Conference players, including the program’s first professional signee.

Applegate went on to coach at Brigham Young University (2003–2011), where 16 pitchers signed professional contracts and his staffs recorded two of the lowest ERAs in program history. He was named BYU Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010. In 2011, Applegate joined UC Riverside as recruiting coordinator and pitching coach, developing five future professional players. He later spent seven seasons at the United States Naval Academy, where his pitching staffs ranked among the nation’s best and he coached Golden Spikes finalist Noah Song, the most decorated player in program history.

In June 2021, Applegate returned to CSU Pueblo as Head Baseball Coach. In his first four seasons, he has led the ThunderWolves to three winning seasons and four consecutive conference tournament appearances, while coaching two Pitchers of the Year and advancing multiple players to the professional level.

Applegate credits his success to the support of his wife, Kristy, his children, Nolan and Addi, his parents, friends and the many coaches and mentors who helped shape his journey.

Marian and Mater Dei Catholic Alumni,

Your Class Reunion is almost here! Join your fellow classmates, family, and friends on at Mater Dei Catholic’s Aquinas Student Center.

Along with many memories to share we will be serving Caesar Salad, Summer Salad, Fettuccini Alfredo, Caprese Pasta, Garlic Bread, and your choice of water, sodas, beer, and wine.
Click the link below to purchase your reunion ticket(s).

https://www.materdeicatholic.org/online-store #!/Alumni-Reunions/c/181376524

Please contact Michael Hart '08, Director of Alumni Relations at [email protected] or 619-423-2121 x116 for any questions.

Go Crusaders!

Mater Dei Catholic High School Class of 2016,

Your Class Reunion is almost here! Join your fellow classmates, family, and friends on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 6:00-10:00 pm at Mater Dei Catholic’s Aquinas Student Center.

Along with many memories to share we will be serving Caesar Salad, Summer Salad, Fettuccini Alfredo, Caprese Pasta, Garlic Bread, and your choice of water, sodas, beer, and wine.
Click the link below to purchase your reunion ticket(s).

https://www.materdeicatholic.org/online-store #!/Class-of-2016-Alumni-Reunion-Registration/p/824907563

Please contact Michael Hart '08, Director of Alumni Relations at [email protected] or 619-423-2121 x116 for any questions.

Go Crusaders!