Wanted: new head Coach at UCI

Does anyone have any inside info on the search for new coaching staff at UCI. Looks like Serrano took everyone with him. Makes me nervous about what else might transpire shortly affecting other teams.

Confirmation from another source:

Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Gillespie applies for UCI baseball opening
By JANIS CARR
The Orange County Register

Former USC baseball coach Mike Gillespie has applied for the vacant UC Irvine coaching job, he said Tuesday.

Gillespie, who retired in 2006 after 20 years at USC, said he has been contacted by several friends and acquaintances, but "no one in position to hire me." His only contact with UCI has been associate athletic director Paul Hope, who said he received the veteran coach's résumé.

"I suspect they have gotten a broad choice of applications," Gillespie said.

Gillespie, 67, coached the Trojans to the 1998 College World Series title and took them to Omaha three other times ('95, 2000, '01). He compiled an overall record of 763-471-2 and coached several major-league players, including Mark Prior, Barry Zito, Aaron Boone, Bret Boone and Geoff Jenkins.

After leaving USC, Gillespie was named manager of the N.Y.-Penn League Staten Island Yankees, a short-season Class-A team, but recently told team officials he wouldn't be returning.

"So I'm looking for something else," Gillespie said. "I'm not ready to shut up and watch Oprah, which I guess I'm supposed to do at my age."

-----------------------------------------

If Gillespie gets the position the dominos stop falling.

Who are some other prospects?

Dave Serrano on 8/31 ...

""I have no interest in leaving UC Irvine for Cal State Fullerton," Serrano said. "I feel that we have something special building at UCI with the program moving in the right direction. Fullerton is a great program and I have many enjoyable memories from there but my family and I are very happy in Irvine."

Moving along to 9/7, to quote Ollie North, "I have no recollection of that version of the truth, sir."

Dave Serrano on 9/7 ...

"Serrano also confirmed that uncertainty surrounding UC Irvine’s commitment to athletics played a significant role in his decision to leave."

So which is it coach?

It's just another example where players and parents should never forget college sports are a business.

Here's the names that are floating around

Troy Buckley: Long Beach Assistant
Don Barbara: Long Beach to Sac State Assistant
Pat Shine: Irvine/UCLA assistant now Head Coach at CalState LA
Rick Vanderhook: Fullerton assistant
Mike Gillespie: ex USC (trojans) coach
Doug Smith: UCR Head Coach
Rod Delmonico: ex Tennessee Head Coach
Rich Hill: Head Coach USD
Augie Garrido: Head Coach Texas

Others as they come up will be posted

I'm no Longhorn fan, but I can't think of a single baseball reason for Garrido to leave UT for UCI.

I can give you some.

Augie lives in Newport Beach...5 min drive to UCI
Augie's family all lives in the OC
UCI/OC fans are laid back...no pressure to win.
Great recuiting area...
Yes, he would take a SoCal pay cut, but nearing retirement...
Great ball field.
Current team was in NCAA world series.

quote:

I'm no Longhorn fan, but I can't think of a single baseball reason for Garrido to leave UT for UCI

I agree with you 100%, dbg ... there is not enough financial incentive for one thing ... the UC's don't pay a lot of $$ to their baseball head coaches. I am sure financially it would be a let down, and then to have to try and find housing here without spending a fortune in property taxes alone ... well, I personally thing Garrido will have no interest in the position and that we won't see his name again in relation to this opening.

On a personal note ... I have the utmost respect for Coach Doug Smith from UC Riverside and I hope he doesn't move to Irvine since his team is already having to deal with the loss of a quality pitching coach with Checketts going to Oregon with Horton et al.

Well, I don't have any idea if Augie is interested or not, but the older I get the more I understand a move like that.

As I get closer to retirement myself I value many, many things much more than money (and believe me I do and did value money quite a bit). But family would certainly be first. Climate, comfort, living where I want to live all would be factors to me greater than money.

Remember, as far as national contenders Augie has been there and done that...and UCI is no slouch in that category either.

I personally doubt it will happen but it certainly would not surprise me either.

It's the Coaches' Polka

.

Serrano was quoted as saying part of his reason for leaving was uncertainty of the financial commitment to the athletic department by a new university president. Therefore I would be surprised to see any coach make a lateral move without commitment from the president. The new coach is more likely to be an unemployed coach or an assistant looking to move up.

This is interesting now.. (secret interviews!) The degree of interest undercuts Coach Serrano's strange contention that UCI is not committed to baseball, despite raising coaches salaries and drastically improving facilities. What's not to like? A top 15 team coming back and CWS experience to boot in the O.C.

I was happy to read today that altho he was invited to an interview and actually had one lined up, Coach Doug Smith has withdrawn his name and confirmed that he will be staying at U C Riverside. As a Highlander alum, and parent of a former Highlander player, I am thrilled for the Highlander team and recruits.

I wish the Anteaters well in their search and I hope they have someone in place very soon so that the returning players and new recruits feel like they have a place to go when school starts (UCI is on the quarter system so they start later than other schools).

quote:

Originally posted by Quincy:
It's the Coaches' Polka.

I'm chuckling on that one Quincy!

I was told by someone close to the program that all of the coaching salaries were only about $200,000.00 and that is the main reason that Serrano took another job. IMO college baseball is in a transition period where some D1 schools are paying large sums of money to coaching staffs (which is great if you can get it) and some schools have decided not to follow that same path at this time. College baseball is viewed by some as the next potential revenue source (or at least a break even program) for many athletic departments. For teams to break even or make money they must have a good coaching staff that can win baseball games. College baseball has become a big business at some schoools and my prediction is that other schools will follow in due time.

cbg ...


are you saying that the total salary amount for all the coaches in the UCI baseball program total ~$200K?

Horton got $400,000 for going to Oregon, so I read.
So, what is the top/mid/low for HC in D-1 programs, public/private or otherwise?

quote:

Originally posted by FutureBack.Mom:
cbg ...


are you saying that the total salary amount for all the coaches in the UCI baseball program total ~$200K?

That is what I was told by someone close to the program.

I read somewhere that the SEC average for a head baseball coach is $334,000.00

quote:

I read somewhere that the SEC average for a head baseball coach is $334,000.00

Awwww ... the wonders of having football money behind an athletic program ! ! !

I don't know what other programs pay, but when Jack Smitheran, head coach at UCR when our son was there, left after 30+ years, he had just gotten a raise and was making $105K. UCR, at the time, had the smallest athletic dept budget in the Big West Conference so I don't know what other head coaches received. I did find a document regarding Cal Poly staff (that is also a California state school) and saw that the max a head coach could receive as late as '04 was a little over $99K (apparently if they had a full 12 month contract because the 10 month salary was around $86K. Heck, as low as some of those salaries are, I am surprised the winning coaches aren't heading out in droves ...

ok, I asked before,
what are the hi/mid/low d-l Hc coaches salaries?
Anywhere between 99K-400K?
Who knows the truth?
What is a nice salary?

Mr. winkle,

Not to get technical on you, but the qualifier in my post was 'baseball' reason to leave UT. Your list includes only 1 baseball reason that is unique to SoCal - great recruiting area. BTW, he has to compete in that great recruiting area w/ Pepperdine, SDSU, USD, USC, UCLA, UCSB, Cal Lutheran ( not really - I just went to school there). At UT Augie OWNS the entire state of TX (apologies to Aggies); another great recruiting area.

I'm sure everyone reading this is aware that between 2002 - 2005 Augie's Longhorns won CWS twice and placed 2nd once. For baseball, UT to UCI is a career step backward.

Every reason you list is valid and may be more important than any baseball reason.

iheartbb,
I know my son's former coach made over 300K not including, camp income and endorsements. Compared to football, in the scheme of things, that's nothing, but the schools that have big FB programs have larger budgets.
I think South Carolina coach makes close to 500K? And the former coach at UF was making something like 750K? Obviously the SEC schools have the money to support those salaries. Plus, some schools will pay for coach's living expenses. It's about how much they want to spend and it's hard to spend if you don't have it.

I understand Justbaseball's comments, the older you get, the more your priorities change.

Again I wish the anteaters much success in finding a coach, people must be on pins and needles by now.

new names that have surfaced

Andy Lopez Arizona Head Coach
Bret Boone former ML Player
Mike Trapasso University of Hawaii Head Coach

Mr dbg: You also forgot the big guns...Long Beach State and Fullerton are both within 50 miles of UCI...

re: Augie...IF he came, it would not be a baseball decision but rather a family decision.

You also stated that UCI was a step down from Texas...history wise yes..baseball wise...UCI won the Texas regional in Texas last year and USD and Fullerton has won many games vs Texas over the last two years...

All sports fans look into the rearview mirror to state how great they have been. What's happening now is what's important.

ESPN went on and on regarding the App State/Michigan game....the low end 1AA App State to the mighty D1 wolverines.

Could it be that App State is a better team? The teams with more to prove...those are the dangerous ones. The teams that don't care who or where thay are playing...They may have a silly mascot and zero fans, but they are not afraid and not intimidated by anybody in the any league.

Maybe that's why coach's are being drawn to Irvine.

TPM-
Wow I had no clue they made that much money.
No wonder there is the "coaches polka" each year,
coaches are probably all trying to move up to those jobs career wise.

BA Blog

Big West Merry-Go-Round
Posted Sep. 20, 2007 10:05 am by Aaron Fitt
Filed under: Around The Nation

Two days after UC Riverside coach Doug Smith withdrew his name from consideration for the UC Irvine job (which was vacated when Dave Serrano left for another Big West school, Cal State Fullerton), the Highlanders have announced their new pitching coach–and not surprisingly, he has a Big West background. UCR hired former Irvine assistant and former Cal Poly reliever Nathan Choate to replace Andrew Checketts, who left the Highlanders to become the pitching coach under George Horton at Oregon.

“Nathan was intimately involved with everything that happened on that pitching staff and bears a lot of the responsibility as to why they were successful,” Smith said. “I am very pleased to have Nathan on our staff. I think he is a great fit for our program. He is a young, energetic guy with great passion and I feel very fortunate for him to be with us.”

Meanwhile, former Southern California coach Mike Gillespie has emerged as the front-runner for the Irvine job, sources indicate. But the search process has continued this week even after Smith canceled his scheduled interview.

Indiana State coach Lindsay Meggs, whose California roots include a playing career at UCLA and two Division II national championships as a coach at Chico State, interviewed for the job Wednesday. One wrinkle here: Indiana State director of athletics Ron Prettyman is the father of former Fullerton third baseman Ronnie Prettyman, and he could be a candidate for Irvine’s vacant athletics director post.
One final candidate scheduled to interview today is Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso. Though he lacks true California roots–he was an assistant at Georgia Tech prior to heading to Hawaii, and he played his college ball at Oklahoma State–Trapasso has experience recruiting in California. Twenty-one players on Hawaii’s roster hail from the Golden State.

A decision still seems likely by the end of the week, but an announcement might not come until Monday. It’s hard to imagine this process dragging out much longer than that.

Is today the day that UCI announces their new coach? I'm sitting on pins and needles, or is that an antpile?

Pins and needles? Antpiles? No, no spizzle...you've been listening to these guys too much...





SLEEPING BOOTY

No word yet....players are working out....running.... lifting.....

But rumor has it that it's gonna be.....

Mike Gillespie Head Coach with
assistant Coach Pat Shine.

Nothing offical, no word from UCI....

.
BW...Rivals says your right...Gillespie/Shine..

http://collegebaseball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=718311

44
.

Anyone know where that leaves Vanderhook?

According to a Yankees officials and BA, Gillespie has been offered and has accepted the coaching position at UCI

The LA times announced in today's paper that Gillespie is the guy.

Coach Mike is an "old school" guy and more than a bit of a dinosaur. I did not hear any complaints at my alma mater, USC, when Coach abruptly left two years ago after a string of completely dismal seasons.

He was known by most to be a classic "puppet master" that players make NO move without Gillespie first calling the shot. For example, you will likely notice that every player has to step out of the box on every single pitch to look at Gillespie in the dugout to get a sign for the next pitch (base coaches at SC were mostly ornaments). You do NOT think on your own when you play for Gillespie which helped create a trend of transfers at SC and HS players looking elsewhere during his last years (and with the glory years of SC on the slide).

His coaching style also tends to create an atmosphere of fear. This is just an odd, odd hire unless it is just, as is being said, an interim move to groom Pat Shine who will supposedly take over in the next few years. UCI would be wise to just go with Shine right now.

The only thing bad about Gillespie leaving SC is that we got son-in-law Chad Kreuter instead.

quote:

He was known by most to be a classic "puppet master" that players make NO move without Gillespie first calling the shot. For example, you will likely notice that every player has to step out of the box on every single pitch to look at Gillespie in the dugout to get a sign for the next pitch

This is no different than Serrano or Savage prior to him.

quote:

Originally posted by iheartbb:
Anyone know where that leaves Vanderhook?

Vanderhook is Fullerton's problem

quote:

Originally posted by HeyBatter:
The LA times announced in today's paper that Gillespie is the guy.

Coach Mike is an "old school" guy and more than a bit of a dinosaur. I did not hear any complaints at my alma mater, USC, when Coach abruptly left two years ago after a string of completely dismal seasons.

He was known by most to be a classic "puppet master" that players make NO move without Gillespie first calling the shot. For example, you will likely notice that every player has to step out of the box on every single pitch to look at Gillespie in the dugout to get a sign for the next pitch (base coaches at SC were mostly ornaments). You do NOT think on your own when you play for Gillespie which helped create a trend of transfers at SC and HS players looking elsewhere during his last years (and with the glory years of SC on the slide).

His coaching style also tends to create an atmosphere of fear. This is just an odd, odd hire unless it is just, as is being said, an interim move to groom Pat Shine who will supposedly take over in the next few years. UCI would be wise to just go with Shine right now.

The only thing bad about Gillespie leaving SC is that we got son-in-law Chad Kreuter instead.

HeyBatter,

Your post was kind of funny because my son who played for Mike this summer, and did like him, said those reasons are probably why he did not like the professional coaching ranks.

quote:

Originally posted by Bullwinkle:

quote:

He was known by most to be a classic "puppet master" that players make NO move without Gillespie first calling the shot. For example, you will likely notice that every player has to step out of the box on every single pitch to look at Gillespie in the dugout to get a sign for the next pitch

This is no different than Serrano or Savage prior to him.

Aren't the most successful coaches what you might term "puppet masters"? They do things the way they want to do them, not the way the player wants it. This doesn't make them bad coaches or managers.

My son considered his college coach "old school", in fact most of his coaches have been "old school". His skipper in the NYPL was old school.

Well, I have to disagree that the puppet master approach is done by all, or is a good thing. It may be the best approach in practice, but not in games IMO.

Baseball is a game that requires you to be able to think for yourself at times. When the coach, such as Gillespie, calls every pitch and will NOT ever allow a pitcher to shake off a sign; destroys a batters rythm and approach by requiring the batter to look for a sign on every pitch, etc. I don't beleive that is the best way to develop.

I guess it is also what you look at to define success. I suppose if winning is the only benchmark maybe the puppet master coach is the superior approach.

An interesting contrast to Gillespie was Coach Gary Adams who was at ucla during Gillespie's tenure at SC. Adams may not have had Gillespie's won/lost success and was known for taking an opposite approach and letting his players act on their own in most game situations. The true end result of that is that Coach Adams program put as many players in MLB as any coach ever. There are probably more ucla alums presently in MLB than any other school. That strikes me as a pretty good mark of success.

quote:

Originally posted by HeyBatter:
Baseball is a game that requires you to be able to think for yourself at times. When the coach, such as Gillespie, calls every pitch and will NOT ever allow a pitcher to shake off a sign; destroys a batters rythm and approach by requiring the batter to look for a sign on every pitch, etc. I don't beleive that is the best way to develop.

HeyBatter, I'm not disagreeing with you...I just said that Serrano, Savage and now Gillespie have the same control approach...

This is a word I have heard from the rank and file..

"I will not trust my $200,000 salary based on the decision by an 18 year old."

College Coaching compared to Minor League Coaching are not the same pair of pants.

College coach's stay in coaching with W's....no W's no more coaching.

Minor League Coaching is about moving players up the rank (Rookie to low A to high A to AA to AAA to MLB) If a minor league Coach lost 50% of games yet moved 50% of his players to the next level, this coach is highly respected by the parent club. But if he wins conferance but does not move his players up...he may not have a job next year.

Hey bullwinkle, actually I wasn't directing my post to you at all and you do make some good points. Despite all his other success, Coach Adams was squeezed out of ucla for the lack of W's and regardless of what a great program he ran. So I know the W's absolutely count.

At some point though I still think players need to develop some independent thought. Tough to play without that to some extent. The list is quite long of those who left SC over differences with Gillespie, especially pitchers.

Gillespie was probably tolerated as long as he was at SC since they were usually in the tournament and he did have one championship in '98. Recent years were pretty poor and so his tenure came to a rather abrupt and surprising end at USC.

I'd also note that there is a difference between taking control of things and being a dictator. Maybe puppet master is too vague a term. Many/most coaches are very controlling, the nature of the job and all, but I can't see painting Coach Savage for example with the same brush as Coach Gillespie. Gillespie was pretty well known for his taking "control" to another level, especially with his approach of demeaning players as part of his process.

I know many who played for Gillespie and while I am sure they are out there, I don't know one who would want to do it again (you used to get a pretty poor turn out for alumni day at SC, I can tell you that). By contrast, I know many that played for Adams and who would do it again in a heartbeat.

Bottomline, I still think this is a very odd hire but best of luck to all concerned.