Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Announces New Assistant Coach
December 02, 2013 | Cowboy Tennis
Dec. 2, 2013
STILLWATER, Okla. -
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team has hired Pepe Caballero as the program's new assistant coach, head coach Jay Udwadia announced.
“Pepe and I have very similar views on where we want to take the Cowboy Tennis program, and his professional experience as a player and coach will be extremely valuable to this team,” Udwadia said. “Our program will greatly benefit from his coaching and leadership.”
A native of Tarragona, Spain, Caballero arrives at Oklahoma State after serving two years as head coach at the Hong Kong Tennis Association, where he primarily focused on national training squads for players between the ages of 12 and 18. He also held a spot on Princeton's women's tennis staff in 2008-09, helping the Tigers to an 18-8 overall record and an NCAA tournament berth.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Caballero amassed a successful four-year playing career at the University of New Mexico, where he became the school's only two-time All-American. Highlights from his time as a Lobo include a 96-56 singles record, a No. 11 spot in the 1998 National Doubles Rankings, a 98-41 doubles mark and a semifinal doubles appearance in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Caballero was also named New Mexico's Student-Athlete of the Year in 1998.
After graduating in 2000 with a degree in electrical engineering, Caballero played in tennis clubs in Germany, France and Spain while also serving as tennis director at a private tennis club in Barcelona.
Caballero remains involved with his local tennis club in Tarragona, where he once starred in the junior Spanish circuit. After consistently holding a top-five singles and doubles spot in Spain's junior rankings, he finished off his junior career with a Spanish National Championship in 1994.
“Our goal is bring excellence back to the Cowboy Tennis program,” Caballero said. “We are all excited to debut the new facility and bring the tennis program up where it belongs. Oklahoma State should not only be seen as a football, basketball, golf, wrestling or cross country school, but as a tennis school as well.”
Caballero replaces former assistant coach Yevgen Bondarchuk, who previously held the position for eight years.
