Community mourns loss of Sandia HS baseball coach

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sandia High School Baseball Coach, Chris Eaton, died unexpectedly this week, according to Sandia staff.

He was head coach of Sandia’s baseball team since 2017 and brought a lot of success to the Matadors.

As of 2022, he was named the 5-A State Baseball Coach of the Year by the New Mexico Baseball Coaches Association. 

Eaton was an Albuquerque native, playing at Cibola and eastern New Mexico. Social media has grown with condolences and messages after hearing of his passing.

KOB 4 reached out to APS for more information on Eaton’s death, but did not hear back from the school district.

The New Mexico Baseball Coaches Association posted a statement on their Facebook page Wednesday: 

“RIP Coach Eaton. Our New Mexico Baseball Coaches Association appreciates all the work you did for us making baseball better in New Mexico. We pray for you, your family, your players and the Sandia baseball community.”

We still don’t know what happened in this unexpected death. 

This isn’t the only coach Sandia High School has mourned over the past few years. Before Eaton was coach, John Gunther held the position, but in 2017 Gunther passed away at 55-years-old after battling cancer.

So just an overall tragedy that the school and community is dealing with right now.