UCI to hire a coach quickly

UC Irvine is working to fill its baseball coaching vacancy before fall practice begins, Oct. 4, interim athletic director Paula Smith said.

The baseball program, which reached the College World Series in 2007 and set a school record for wins with its 47-17-1 record under Coach Dave Serrano, lost Serrano, as well as assistants Greg Bergeron and Sergio Brown to Cal State Fullerton.

UCI was listed Wednesday on Rivals.com’s top 25 programs to watch for 2008.

Smith, who heads the baseball search committee, said a national search has attracted interest from as many as 24 prospective candidates and UCI Associate Athletic Director Paul Hope said at least 12 candidates have applied.

Among the applicants are former USC coach Mike Gillespie, former Tennessee coach Rod Delmonico and former Cal State Fullerton assistant Rick Vanderhook, Hope confirmed.

Hope also said Texas Coach Augie Garrido, who had two stints at Cal State Fullerton, called to express his support for an unnamed candidate.

Gillespie, 67, retired following the 2006 season after 20 seasons at USC. He posted a 763-471-2 record with the Trojans and also coached the U.S. national team, made up of college players, during the summer of 2000.

Gillespie is one of two people to have played for and coached a national champion, after leading the 1998 Trojans to the College World Series title. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1998 by Collegiate Baseball, as well as the American Baseball Coaches Assn.

Delmonico, 49, was fired at Tennessee after 18 seasons in June. He was 699-371 in Knoxville, where he guided the Volunteers to the College World Series in 2005, 2001 and 1995. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1995 by Baseball America.

Vanderhook, listed at age 42 in the 2007 Cal State Fullerton media guide, was named associate head coach at Cal State Fullerton in June. A former player at Fullerton, he spent 21 seasons on the Titans staff. With his assistance, Fullerton won two national championships and made eight College World Series appearances.

Meanwhile, the process of hiring an athletic director at UCI is ongoing. Smith, who has not applied for the vacancy left when Bob Chichester resigned in June, said there were no instructions for her to delay the hiring of a baseball coach until an athletic director had been named.

Hope said he has applied for the athletic director job, as has Cal State Fullerton Associate Athletic Director Steve DiTolla.