August 23, 2007
Serrano to stay with Anteaters
For the third time, UO is snubbed in its search for a coach to bring back baseball
BRIAN MEEHAN
The Oregonian Staff
Dave Serrano, the University of California Irvine baseball coach, Wednesday withdrew from consideration for the vacant job at the University of Oregon.
"He decided to remain where he is," said Joe Giansante, the Oregon athletic department's director of community relations and special projects.
"He was intrigued, but he was just getting started down there," Giansante said of the third-year Anteaters coach whom Baseball America selected national coach of the year this spring.
Serrano's withdrawal marks the latest in a series of high-profile coaches who have turned away overtures from the Ducks. Last week, after interviewing in Eugene, Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin said he was remaining in Nashville, Tenn. Dave Brundage, Atlanta's Triple A manager in Richmond, Va., also withdrew from consideration.
Giansante was undaunted by the latest refusal. He said the university has been contacted by more than 100 potential applicants.
"The interest in this job is unbelievable," he said. "We are going to take our time to find the right person."
The development came a day after the university acknowledged that it was reviewing Serrano's academic credentials. Oregon requires the new coach to have a bachelor's degree; it waived the degree requirement when it hired Pat Kilkenny as athletic director in February. Kilkenny left Oregon short of a bachelor's degree.
Serrano lists his degree from The Trinity College and University, a school in Spain that awards degrees based not on class time but on life experiences.
Irvine, a University of California school, reviewed Serrano's diploma and found it satisfactory before hiring the former Cal State Fullerton assistant three years ago.
"It was something we were working on," Giansante said of Serrano's academic credentials, "but he clearly has a great body of work as a coach."
Brian Meehan, 503-221-4341; brianmeehan@news.oregonian.com