Sources to TNT: Puyallup baseball coach resigns after shaky start to season
Puyallup baseball coach Sean Taunt has resigned after a short stint and shaky start that includes a five-game losing streak, The News Tribune has learned.
Multiple sources confirmed Taunt’s resignation Friday, noting the program’s booster club grew frustrated with the team’s losing streak. Taunt also confirmed the news shortly after this story was originally published Friday afternoon. He told The News Tribune over the phone it “came as a surprise” to him.
“I got an email (Friday) morning from a group of parents that voiced some concerns about what was going on, asking me to resign,” Taunt said. “It bums me out a little bit, I thought we were making some strides, we have a young group that’s going through everything.”
Taunt said he didn’t want to resign, nor did he plan on leaving the team midway through the season.
“I didn’t quit on the kids,” he said. “I’m thankful for my time here. … I’m sure that group is gonna have a ton of success, and that’s all I want. I regrettably agreed to (resign). It’s not something I wanted to do. My hands were kind of tied.”
Taunt said he felt supported by the school’s leadership, even as the parents grew frustrated.
“The athletic director and the administration, they’ve been great,” he said. “It just became a situation that wasn’t manageable. It’s tough when you know that stuff is going on behind the scenes.”
Taunt replaced longtime coach Marc Wiese in the Puyallup dugout this spring. Taunt is a Puyallup grad and played for Wiese from 1998 to 2000, before coaching as an assistant under Wiese from 2002 to 2011. Since 2012, he’s been a coach at PLU, most recently with the Associate Head Coach title.
Wiese retired at the end of last season after 30 seasons coaching the Vikings and building Puyallup into a state powerhouse in Washington, winning 18 consecutive league titles and a pair of state championships in 2014 and 2017.
Puyallup is 5-5 this season and has lost its last five games — two against Emerald Ridge, one to Bonney Lake and two to rival Sumner, including a 10-2 loss to the Spartans on Wednesday.
Puyallup posted a 28-1 record last season and lost in the 4A state tournament semifinals in Yakima.
Puyallup hosts Spanaway Lake at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 10 at the Heritage Recreation Center in South Hill. It’s unclear which assistant will take over for Taunt on an interim basis.
This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 2:29 PM.
