Palm Beach Atlantic University Athletics

Coach Kent Bottenfield was promoted to head coach of the Sailfish baseball program during the 2012 season. In his tenure he has led the Sailfish to five seasons with a record above .500 and 35 wins against ranked opponents. Bottenfield earned his 200th career win in 2021 with a win over Saint Leo on March 18.

The 2024 season was one of the best since the Sailfish joined the Sunshine State Conference. Bottenfield led the 'Fish to a program-best 17-13 record in conference play where PBA finished fourth in the SSC.

 Bottenfield led the Sailfish baseball team to 21 wins in 2023, the most overall wins and most conference wins since 2019.

Bottenfield led the Sailfish through their transition into the Sunshine State Conference. Mikhail Cazenave become the first player to earn All-SSC honors in the program's first year competing as a full member of the SSC in 2018. Since then the awards have continued to come in. PBA's Brandon Seltzer was named to the NCBWA All-South Region team in 2019. Seltzer and Mitchell Carroll each earned All-SSC second team honors. In 2021, Robert Fabelo became the first Sailfish baseball player to earn All-SSC first team honors while Landen Morrison earned All-SSC honorable mention as a freshman. 

A pair of PBA baseball standouts have signed professional contracts with MLB Teams after working with Bottenfield. Johnnie Schneider was drafted in the 29th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2018. Orsen Josephina was the second player to sign with a MLB team, inking a professional deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bottenfield has led the 'Fish to a DII-era record tying 28 wins in two different seasons (2013 & 2015). The 2015 team returned to the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) World Series for the first time since 2009 after winning the NCCAA South Region Championship. Brian Walker and Josh Turner earned NCCAA All-American status with Walker being the first player to earn Daktronics All-South Region first team honors.

In 2013, Joel Buchko was Bottenfield's first NCCAA All-American while also taking home the ICAA Player of the Year award. Sean Visconti earned ICAA Freshman of the Year accolades while Nic Kovacs set the DII-era record for the lowest single season ERA (1.99) and would go on to earn All-Region accolades by numerous postseason publications and media outlets. He was also named the ICAA Pitcher of the Year in 2013.

• 3 All-American Honorees
• 14 All-Region Honorees
• 12 Sunshine State Conference Weekly Awards
• 5 All-Sunshine State Conference Honorees
• 10 CSC Academic All-District Award Winners
• 2017 ABCA Scholar Team
• 2013 ICAA Coach of the Year

Bottenfield played professional baseball for 16 seasons (1986-2001) including nine years at the major league level. His experience as a major league pitcher has been a tremendous benefit to the Sailfish pitching staff, while managing the day-to-day operations of the program.

Bottenfield officially took the reins of the PBA program following the passing of former head coach and Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter, who passed away Feb. 16, 2012 after a nine-month battle with brain cancer. Having spent his first season in the big leagues pitching to Carter while with the Montreal Expos in 1992, Bottenfield and Carter formed a bond that allowed the two to continue their work in the collegiate coaching ranks. 

Drafted in the fourth round by the Expos in the 1986 amateur draft out of James Madison High School in Portland, Ore., Bottenfield would find himself in West Palm Beach during the early portion of his minor league career as he pitched in the Instructional League. 

Bottenfield made his major league debut on July 6, 1992, as starting pitcher for the Expos against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bottenfield was called back to the majors in September 1992 and had the unique distinction of being the last starting pitcher to throw to Carter in his final game as a starting catcher. 

Bottenfield enjoyed his finest professional season in 1999 while pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. There he was named to the National League All-Star team on his way to winning a career-high 18 games. Following his breakout season, he was traded to the Anaheim Angels in a blockbuster trade that brought the Cardinals back an All-Star of their own in centerfielder Jim Edmonds. 

Following his time with the Expos, Bottenfield pitched for the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Cardinals, Angels and Philadelphia Phillies. He closed out his career with the Houston Astros in 2001. His final season was cut short when a shoulder injury sidelined him, forcing him into retirement from the game as a player. 

• Bottenfield and his wife, Pamela ’91, have three children, Emma, Eli and Lucy, and live in Jupiter, Fla.
• Bottenfield's children have all attended PBA with Emma graduating in 2017, Eli graduating in 2020 and Lucy scheduled to graduate in 2025.
• With his playing career wrapped up, Bottenfield began pursuing his aspirations as a singer/songwriter. Settling near Nashville, Tenn., he released two contemporary Christian albums, Take Me Back (2004) and Back in the Game (2007).