John Stratton made his way to Arizona Western in 1985 and led the Matadors for 27 seasons. Under his leadership, the Arizona Western baseball team won three ACCAC titles, three Region 1 titles, and the Matadors' lone NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series appearance in 1996. Throughout his career, he produced 12 30+ win seasons and 20 winning seasons overall. Stratton led the Matadors to their first 40-win season in program history in 1995 and then repeated that achievement in 1996.
Stratton is a 2020 ACCAC Hall of Fame inductee and a 2023 Arizona Western College Hall of Fame inductee. He was named Western District Region 1 Coach of the Year and received the Louisville Slugger Award for Excellence in Coaching. During his time at Arizona Western, Stratton coached three MLB players and helped advance countless former players to the four-year level. Other coaching accomplishments include serving as a USA Junior Nationals coach and leading the NJCAA All-Star team in the Netherlands.
Retiring in 2011, Stratton left Arizona Western as the longest-tenured and winningest coach in any sport for the Matadors. Now, he occasionally serves as an analyst for numerous Arizona Western baseball games.