Curtis High didn’t look far to find its next varsity baseball coach
The Curtis High School baseball program didn’t need to look beyond its dugout to find its next varsity baseball coach.
Nate Angelo, who has been an assistant to Bryan Robinson for 12 years, is taking over the program, the school announced this week. Robinson, who coached the Vikings for 14 years, stepped down after the 2026 season to spend more time with his two daughters, he told The News Tribune.
“It feels the same, I’ve been around (Curtis) for so long,” Angelo told The News Tribune on a phone call on Friday afternoon.
Angelo is a 1998 Curtis High School grad who played baseball for the Vikings before playing two seasons of Division III college baseball, one at the University of Mary Washington (formerly Mary Washington College) in Virginia, before returning home and playing his sophomore year at the University of Puget Sound.
Angelo then followed his high school sweetheart Jenny Swanson — now his wife, Jenny Angelo — to Texas Christian University, where Jenny received a soccer scholarship. Nate walked on to the baseball team there.
Their oldest son, Riley, graduated from Curtis this spring. He was a 4A SPSL all-league and TNT All-Area first-team selection after hitting .435 with six doubles and a home run in the spring, leading Curtis to the state tournament. Their middle son, Levi, plays soccer and football at Curtis, and their youngest, Gannon, played on the varsity baseball team as a freshman last spring.
“We put them in everything,” Angelo said. “Jenny and I wanted them to find their passion, learn to work hard. We think sports have taught us as much as life. It’s just worked out. It’s so fun to watch them come into their own.”
Angelo, who works for a wealth-management firm, also has been coaching a national travel team at New Level (Puyallup) the past few years and has a vision of fast-paced practices at Curtis.
“If we double down on discipline, have intent, fast-paced practice environments, we’re gonna be able to compete at a high level,” he said. “The more small-group attention, fast-paced, lots of reps, multiple balls moving in multiple directions, all of that helps slow the game down when you’re in the game.
“Our goal is to make practice fast, intense, competitive, all with the underlying idea of having a good time and having fun.”
Curtis posted a 17-9 record last spring and advanced to the Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals after knocking off West Valley of Yakima in the opening round.
