The Register-Guard

August 21, 2007

Serrano postpones baseball interview
By Ron Bellamy
The Register-Guard

Dave Serrano, the leading candidate to become the coach of Oregon's reborn baseball program, will delay his visit to Eugene to interview for the position until next week, athletic director Pat Kilkenny said Monday.

The delay was the result of logistical issues, Kilkenny said.

Oregon's announcement of Phil Knight's $100 million contribution to establish an endowment fund that will help provide the resources to build a new basketball arena became a schedule-buster for Kilkenny on Monday and resulted in further commitments today.

Serrano had only a brief window Monday evening and today because of a previously scheduled family vacation.

But the extra week gives Oregon more time to consider the academic background of the UC Irvine coach, after concerns were raised over the fact that his bachelor's degree was obtained from Trinity College and University, a reputed "diploma mill" in which degrees can be obtained, for a fee, based on life experiences.

Serrano, the Baseball America national coach of the year, attended Cerritos College and Cal State Fullerton, where he was a pitcher and then pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He also did course work at the University of Tennessee, where he served in a similar role.

"We're aware of it and we're considering whether it's material or not," Kilkenny said. "We're still very optimistic about him as a candidate."

Serrano has completed his third year as head coach at UC Irvine; he worked the previous eight years as an assistant coach at Fullerton.

The issue could be particularly sensitive for Oregon because the university drew criticism when it selected Kilkenny as director of athletics even though he left Oregon a few credits short of a degree to enter the business world.

Kilkenny went on to earn a fortune in the insurance industry, establishing a net worth in excess of $100 million, and enabling him to return to Oregon as athletic director for a token stipend.

The Ducks are seeking a coach to lead their restored baseball program, which was discontinued for budgetary reasons in 1981. Last week, Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin visited Oregon but chose to remain with the Commodores. Serrano was to be the next high-profile college coach to visit, though Kilkenny also spent time last week with Paul Kirsch, the former Oregon baseball player whose father, Don, was the longtime UO coach.

Kirsch, who scouts for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, is a former manager of the Eugene Emeralds.