Growing up the son of a HS Baseball Coach and Professional Scout, Rusty developed a love and respect for the game at an early age. Playing at one of the top HS programs in the country, Carlsbad HS in New Mexico, Rusty was constantly exposed to scouts, both professional and collegiate; even living with a Chicago Cubs Scout for the summer while playing in Albuquerque. After completing a collegiate career, Rusty followed in the family business and became a high school coach receiving his first Head Coaching position at Rio Grande City at just 26 yrs. old. While at the helm, Rusty guided the Rattlers to their first .500 plus seasons in several years missing the playoffs by just one game each year. After coaching at RGC, Rusty went into the financial industry, managing a bank for six years and owning an insurance agency for the last three. During his post playing career, Rusty has coached numerous summer and fall baseball teams and played a key role in seeing dozens of players realize their dreams of playing collegiate or professional baseball; this is one area in which Coach Whittemore is truly passionate, assisting in the process which ends with a college scholarship or God willing a professional contract; Rusty’s track record confirms that he truly has a solid grasp on what scouts look for in a person, not just a player. Rusty lives in the TPC area with his wife Claudia and their son Stephen (a basketball player, go figure).
