Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Zeb Brayton
Coach Brayton enters his first season as Head Coach of the Pirates after working
on staff as an assistant coach for the past ten years. As an assistant, Coach
Brayton's responsibilities consisted of running the offense, recruiting,
fundraising and monitoring academic progress. During his tenure as the Pirates
hitting instructor, Coach Brayton worked with and developed some of the best
young hitters in the area. He has established himself as a tireless worker, always
willing to help players reach their full potential.
In the Fall of 2012 Coach Brayton was appointed Head of Baseball Operations. During that time he
created the Pirates Dugout Club, which has helped raise thousands of dollars in support of MJC Baseball.
Coach Brayton’s fundraising efforts have spearheaded the recent renovations to Pirate Field. Those
renovations include: new infield playing surface, new brick backstop, new fencing around entire field,
and a new sound system.
As Recruiting Coordinator, Coach Brayton has successfully recruited some of the top local talent in the
area, which has translated to back to back playoff appearances for the Pirates. In 2012, Coach Brayton
created a mandatory “Study Hall” program for all student athletes associated with the Baseball Program.
Each year the team’s overall GPA has increased, which has allowed over 90% of the student athletes to
transfer to 4 year schools.
Coach Brayton graduated from St. Mary’s High School (Stockton) in 1996 and received a scholarship to
play baseball at San Jose St University. He later transferred to San Joaquin Delta College where he
earned another scholarship to play at CSU Stanislaus. Coach Brayton graduated from CSU Stanislaus in
2002 with a BA in Physical Education and a Concentration in Health Education. He received his MA in
Teaching in 2008 and his California Teaching Credential in Physical Education in 2010 from National
University. Coach Brayton lives in Ripon with his beautiful wife of 7 years, Bethany, their 4 year old
daughter Bailey and 1 year old son Bo.
Assistant Coach: Bo Aiello
After two stints and 28 years as Head Coach of the Pirates, Coach Aiello will
help assist Zeb Brayton in 2015. Coach Aiello came to Modesto in 1979 and
served as an assistant under Jerry Streeter for 3 years. He became Head Coach
in 1982 and compiled a 626 - 448 record during his 26 years at the helm. In
2008, Coach Aiello stepped down as Head Coach of the Pirates. In the Fall of
2012, Coach Aiello returned as Head Coach and led the Pirates to back to back playoff appearances.
During those 26 years Coach Aiello’s teams were considered as one of the top teams in Northern
California.
Coach Aiello graduated from Grace Davis High School in 1971. He attended Modesto Junior College for
two years before receiving a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Oregon. Coach Aiello
played one year of professional baseball for the Gray’s Harbor Ports in the Northwest League. He
received his MA in Education from Chapman College in 1983. Coach Aiello has been married to his high
school sweetheart Diane for the last 30 years. He has two daughters, Lauren and Julianne.
Assistant Coach: Danny Ayala
Coach Ayala is entering his 6th season at Modesto Junior College. He works as
defense instructor for Infield and outfield. Coach Ayala graduated from Beyer
High School in 1997 and played baseball at Merced JC in 98 and 99. He coached
at Modesto Christian in ’01, Davis HS ’04-’08 before moving to MJC. Coach Ayala
has also worked for travel ball teams such as Ray Lankford Academy, Cen Cal
Baseball and was owner of Central Valley Baseball Academy. He is currently the GM for NorCal Valley
Player Development Program and does personal instruction. Coach Ayala has a Bachelor of Science
degree in Business Management from University of Phoenix. He is currently working on a Master’s and
Credential in Special Education from National University. Danny has three children, Brelynn 7, Ty 4, and
Kaylee 8 mos.
Assistant Coach: Matt Brown
Matt Brown enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Pirates in
2015 where he will coach 3rd base. Coach Brown will lead the hitters and assist
with recruiting for the 2015 season.
Prior to joining the Pirates, Brown was the head coach at Enochs High School
from 2007-13, where he lead the Eagles to six consecutive Div. 1 Sac-Joaquin
Section playoff appearances and an overall record of 91-75. Brown led the Eagles to a Modesto Metro
Conference overall record of 57-27, including a perfect 12-0 league record and MMC title in 2012. Brown
was selected as the Modesto Bee Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading his team to a semi-final section
playoff appearance. Coach Brown started his coaching career at Linden High School as an assistant for
Coach Bob Amerman in 2004-05, where he helped guide the Lions to back to back CIF Div. IV Sac-Joaquin
Section titles.
Coach Brown graduated from Treasure Valley Community College in 1999 and CSU Stanislaus in 2002
with a BA in Liberal Studies and his California Teacher Credential in Special Education. Brown is
currently a special education teacher at Enochs High School.
Coach Brown will earn his MA degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia
University, Irvine in 2015. Coach Brown is the grandson of former Modesto Junior College head coach
Jerry Streeter. Coach Brown and his wife Candice have one son: Hunter 12, and two daughters: Avery
10, and Claire 8.
Assistant Coach: Vince Roberts
Vince Roberts enters his first season as an assistant coach with the Pirates in
2015. Coach Roberts primary responsibilities will be leading the pitching staff
as the pitching coach and assisting in recruiting. Coach Roberts is a former
Pirate player who enjoyed tremendous success as a starting pitcher in the
2009 and 2010 seasons. After leaving MJC, Coach Roberts earned a scholarship
to CSU Northridge, where he was a starting pitcher for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. After college, Coach
Roberts came back to Modesto and began to work as a pitching coach at Norcal Valley Baseball
Academy. Coach Roberts currently lives in Riverbank
Assistant Coach: Jerry Streeter
A longtime Modesto resident, Jerry played baseball for MJC from 1950-51. His name
can be found in “The Record Book” section of this program beside some very
impressive school records. Jerry went on to play for the University of the Pacific from
1951-53. He spent six years playing minor league baseball before he accepted a head
coaching position at Downey High School in 1959. He served as MJC head coach from
1966-1982. Jerry was inducted in the California Community College Hall of Fame in
2004. Jerry is one of the most respected infield coaches throughout the state of California. He has worked
professionally with many organizations the most recent has been California Angels, Chicago Cubs, and Seattle
Mariners. He also is solely responsible for the accomplishment of Aaron Reza receiving the highest NCAA fielding
percentage in the year 2006 at University of Oklahoma. Jerry continues to work solely with the infielders at MJC.