September 1, 2007

Horton to coach in Eugene
The head coach of the 2004 national champion Fullerton baseball team will restart the Ducks

JOHN HUNT
The Oregonian Staff

The Ducks' fledgling baseball program wanted a big name as coach, and it got one of the biggest.

George Horton, who guided Cal State Fullerton to a national title in 2004, will take over Oregon's baseball program that was recently reinstated after a 26-year hiatus, sources said.

The expected hiring was first reported by the Orange County Register, citing unidentified sources, and confirmed to The Oregonian by a baseball source with knowledge of the situation.

An announcement is expected today, before Oregon's football season opener against the University of Houston. It will end a nearly two-month search that began when the university brought baseball back, while also dropping the wrestling program and adding competitive cheer.

Horton, 53, had a record of 490-212-1 (.698) in 11 seasons as head coach with the Titans (he was also an assistant coach for five seasons), making six trips to the College World Series and filling major league rosters with names such as Mark Kotsay, Aaron Rowand, Phil Nevin and Chad Cordero.

Horton is a two-time national coach of the year. In 2006, the Titans pitching staff posted a team ERA of 2.76, best in the nation. His recruiting ties are strong in Southern California, as the Ducks seek to compete against Oregon State coach Pat Casey and his stranglehold on in-state baseball talent.

His hire should boost the visibility of Oregon's program as it tries to compete in the Pacific-10 Conference (the Ducks had been the only school in the conference without a baseball program), and it will give Horton the rare opportunity to build a program from scratch.

Horton recently emerged as the Ducks' leading candidate after a handful of hopefuls didn't work out.

Dave Brundage, a former Oregon State player and manager in the Seattle Mariners system, currently with the Atlanta organization, took himself out of consideration last month as did Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin and UC Irvine's Dave Serrano.

Serrano removed himself from consideration amid concern about his bachelor's degree from Trinity College in Malaga, Spain.

According to Cal State Fullerton, Horton earned a master's degree from California Lutheran University in 1980.

The Ducks will begin play, with limited scholarships, in the 2009 season. They will most likely use Civic Stadium, home of the Class A Eugene Emeralds, until another facility is built.

Last month, Nike co-founder Phil Knight gave the school $100 million in an "Oregon Athletics Legacy Fund," but construction costs for a baseball stadium are expected to be covered by other donations.

Titans associate head coach Rick Vanderhook is expected to take over for Horton.